


The Lion's Head and The Saviour's Heart

by Rosiemulf



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-01 05:13:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 96,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2760947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosiemulf/pseuds/Rosiemulf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Emma and Regina return after the missing year they have a lot of things to contend with. Zelena has taken everyone's memories and Regina is missing some things which are crucial to her pursuit of a happy ending. The two women have feelings for each other which neither has yet voiced but destiny has plans of its own. What if the man with the lion tattoo wasn't Robin Hood? Tinkerbell has known the truth all along but how long will it take our favourite Mayor and Sheriff to work it out for themselves? (Alternative Season 3B)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. So Good They Named It Twice

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I've been working on this fic for a while now so i finally thought it was time to start posting. This isn't my first fic, but it is my first OUAT fic so bear with me for anything i haven't done so well. This story is essentially my version of what 4B should have been like. It originated from a prompt on tumblr and has now turned into a beast to write! I have 2/3 of the story written already so i guess i will post a chapter a week for the time-being and see how things start off. Its looking like its going to end up pretty huge, 70k, maybe more, so this is gonna be one long ride. 
> 
> There are a few things i should say:  
> Firstly, i have taken some liberties with regards to how things work in Storybrooke, how magic works, how Zelena cast the curse and how the curse is broken, both to make life easier for myself and to do things with the story that otherwise wouldn't be possible.At first it will jump around a bit in time, between the missing year and present day, but don't worry, SwanQueen are soon reunited.  
> Secondly, I have neglected a few of the characters in favour of giving our lovely ladies more time to spend together. Robin is involved but he is my pawn to do with what i will. Hook is, as usual, a douchey douchebag and i refuse to write him as anything else. And as for Neal, he will pop in here and there but i won't be giving him too much attention, although i also won't be killing him.  
> Thirdly, its going to start out a bit slowly and this will most definitely be a slow-burn for Regina and Emma, they're silly, they don't realise things. The story pretty much departs from canon after New York City Serenade/Witch Hunt but there are some scenes in later chapters which mirror things that happened in canon.  
> There will be no smut for a while but the rating is still high for language, and later on in the story there may be some darker scenes. 
> 
> I do not own Once Upon A Time or any of its characters, though i wish i did. No copyright intended. 
> 
> Enjoy!  
> Rosie

New York City – 2014

Emma woke up that morning just like most other mornings. Her alarm blared obnoxiously out through the stillness of her sleep and she rolled over, silencing it quickly with the palm of her hand before flopping her arm back down on her pillow dramatically. She reached down and pulled the covers over her head trying to drown out the sound of the busy New York street below her window but she had no such luck and in response groaned loudly and inwardly sighed at the thought of having to leave her bed. She steeled herself, preparing her limbs for movement and then pushed her self up, staring around the room groggily as she waited for her eyes to focus on reality.  
The dreams she’d been having recently left her waking up more drained than when she went to sleep and so exhausted that even coffee couldn’t fix her in the mornings. They were filled with strange things; flashes of people that Emma had never met, the same faces every night. There was magic and strange monsters and a road. Emma would stand on this road for what felt like hours, her Yellow bug parked next to her but not a single person ever came. Just as she began to wonder for the hundredth time what these dreams meant, she was stopped in her thoughts by a knock on her bedroom door. She glanced up in the general direction of the noise and simultaneously shuffled her legs to the edge of the bed.

“Come in kid,” she shouted while she hauled herself out of bed and into a standing position. She wiggled her toes and stretched upwards as her son opened the door with a sleepy smile on his face.

“Morning Ma,” Henry greeted whilst yawning, leaning against the doorframe with one hand.

“Morning kiddo. Sorry I’m late waking up, you know what I’m like. Sleep well?” Emma replied as she smiled at Henry and leaned towards the bedside table to grab her phone.

“Yeah I did thanks, but I’m still tired. I kinda-might-have stayed up a little bit later reading Lord of the Rings. I think it’s my new favourite.” Henry confessed, worried that his mother would scold him for staying up well past his bedtime, but she didn’t.

Emma gaped up at her son with a look of mock astonishment as she finished checking her phone for any important messages, “You mean it beats Harry Potter? I thought Harry Potter was your all-time favourite ever? Or so you told me like 5 days ago,” she chuckled at him, looking across to her son to witness his trademark eyebrow raise and smirk. She was sure he didn’t get that look from her.

“Very funny Mom,” he replied, dragging out the last word with a bored tone, which was accompanied by yet another raise of his eyebrows. Nope, Emma thought, definitely not from me. Henry continued, looking up at his mother, “Fine it might not be my favourite. I think I’ll finish it first and then judge after that.”

Emma laughed, “Alright kid, whatever you say. What do you want for breakfast?”

“Ummmmm…Pancakes?” Henry asked with a huge grin on his face.

“Pancakes it is. Go get ready for school and I’ll meet you in the kitchen in…” Emma looked down at the time on her phone, “…twenty minutes?”

“Okay!”

Henry disappeared down the hallway, his slippers making a soft pitter patter on the wooden floor. After listening to his bedroom door close Emma wandered across to the bathroom get ready for work.

Fifteen minutes later Emma emerged from her room wearing a black turtleneck and plaid trousers, her blonde hair cascading down her shoulders and settling at the top of her chest. She slid around the island to the coffee pot, her morning cup calling to her already, drawing her into its warm, tasty goodness. After switching it on she set to work on her and Henry’s breakfast. As much as she would love to learn to cook, she was awful anywhere near a kitchen, and so she removed a bottle of pancake mix from the fridge. She had just begun pouring the mixture on the quickly heating pan when she heard Henry’s bedroom door shut, and small feet walking towards the kitchen. He walked in and she immediately noticed the copy of his new favourite book held open in his hand. He swiftly climbed up on a stool and placed the book down, grabbing the carton of orange juice and pouring himself a glass before he once again submerged himself in the world of Middle Earth.

Emma couldn’t help but laugh at Henry; he’d always been like this with books. He went into his own little world when he read. There was one occasion when Henry had been reading in the car on the way home; Emma pulled up outside their apartment building and he was so submerged in whatever was going on in his fictional land that she left him to it, leaving the keys on the drivers seat when she went inside. It had been almost a full hour before he reemerged, his little face grinning proudly as he walked in the door and dropped the book down on the coffee table. ‘Done’ he had said, before walking to his room triumphantly, presumably to choose his next book.

“You really can’t put that down can you kid?” Emma asked teasingly whilst serving their pancakes onto two plates and drizzling syrup over both. Henry only replied when his mother set his plate down in front of him and he put the book down to rest on the counter.

“Nope,” he finally responded. He picked up a forkful of pancake and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully, “I’m on this really good bit where the Ents are attacking Isengard and killing all the Orcs and Merry and Pipp-“

Henry’s tale was interrupted by a knock at the door; something which neither Emma nor her son expected at this time in the morning.

“Hold that thought Hen…” Emma said, looking at the door with confusion covering her face. She got up started walking toward the door as she continued, brushing her hand on the counter as she slid around the corner, “not that I have any idea what you’re talking about”.

The brunette boy couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he filled his mouth with more pancake, listening to his mother mutter “Ents” and “Orcs” as she wandered toward the cause of their interrupted breakfast.

If Emma had been confused before she opened the door, she definitely didn’t know what she was now. There was a man, dressed in something that seemed to resemble Jack Sparrow’s attire in Pirates of the Caribbean, standing in her doorway. A man who was looking at her with such surprise and awe on his face that she felt like she was in some kind of romantic comedy, except with a touch of the creepies. She looked him up and down once again, taking in his boots and the sword fastened around his waist and…was that? A hook. Great, Emma thought, first there’s a strange man at my door and now he has a hook, fan-fuckin-tastic. She had to stop herself rolling her eyes back into her head as she looked up at this weird man. Then something even weirder happened.

“Swan,” he said matter-of-factly, nodding his head. Immediately he swooped his head towards her. Before she could even register what was happening his lips were on hers, crashing into her as his beard scratched unpleasantly at her face. Great, she thought again, this just gets better and better. She pushed him off roughly with a kind of strength that was entirely necessary in her line of work, held him at arms length and frowned at the smile that was plastered across his face.

“Who the fuck are you,” Emma growled, shoving the pirate-man into the hallway with another muscled push. “And why the hell did you just kiss me?”

“As polite as ever I see. Swan, its me, Killian. I thought that plan had potential; at least I hoped it did, but clearly our emotions are on somewhat different levels. It looks like I’m going to have to do this the hard way.”

“I have absolutely no idea who you are Killian but if you’re not out of here in five seconds then I’m calling the police. So get the hell off my doorstep.”

“Swan, just let me expla-,” Killian started, but before he got a chance to finish his sentence the door slammed shut in his face.

As Emma turned around and headed down the hallway back towards her now cold breakfast, she heard her son yell, “Who was that Mom?”

Bewildered, the blonde craned her neck round to look at the closed door once more before she replied, “I have no idea Henry.”

 

* * *

 

Enchanted Forest – 2013

The day was grey and overcast as Regina and the recently returned Fairytale characters continued their long trek from Prince Phillip and Aurora’s realm to what had once, long ago, been their own. It felt different somehow. But it wasn’t because The Enchanted Forest had change much, if at all, it was because they had changed so much. In the decade and a half that they had been away from their homes, all the residents had become different people. Regina was sure that given questioning, all of her companions would say the same thing; it felt strange to be back.

For the former Evil Queen however, it was more bittersweet than anything else. She had lost her son, again, and there was nothing to be done to bring him back. She knew that she had to try and do something, but what. She wracked her brain but couldn’t come up with anything. At that point, she groaned audibly, trying to suppress the feelings that were brewing up inside of her. She couldn’t let her emotions run rampant in front of her present company because, much to her constant dismay, she needed to maintain the Mayor Mills exterior. If she broke down and showed them all how she was truly feeling then she would have nothing left. Remember, Regina thought to herself, calm as still water. Don’t show them anything.

She thought back to her conversation with Snow and Charming earlier; one of the many that had ended in held-in tears and sobs from the fairest in the land. They had been talking about ways to get back to Emma and Henry but Regina had been too buried in her own mind to listen much to what they were saying, sure that any idea they had would be useless anyway. Snow had been blubbering on about Ariel, a friend from many years ago, a mermaid, who was able to travel across worlds whenever she pleased. The more Regina had thought about it, the quicker a plan developed in her head. But I can’t do this myself, she thought. As much as she dreaded the thought of even conversing with the lowlife, she was going to need the pirate’s help. But first she needed to retrieve something from her castle.

* * *

 

After she watched Zelena’s broomstick disappear into the clouds Regina stormed her way through the airy room to her vanity, heels clacking on the stone floor, echoing off the walls with a fervent anger that she had missed these past 30 something years. As much as she wished to sit and enjoy being back in her home after all this time she had more pressing matters to deal with.

The first thing that came to her mind as she sat in front of her mirror was Zelena. Her sister. This revelation had so many implications, and brought up so many things which she continually avoided thinking about…and for good reason. To start off with, she could add another item to the already infinite list of things that her mother had lied to her about throughout her life, and she was wondering if this recently appeared sibling was something that Rumplestiltskin had known about all along; if so, she had half the mind to bring him back from the dead then kill him again herself. Secondly, as much as she hated herself for it, she couldn’t help but think about what it might have been like to have a sister when she was growing up and how different her life might have been. Her mother would have been an entirely different person, and as a matter of fact so would Regina. She didn’t even want to consider what her life would have been like without having to bear the weight of her mother’s pressure solely on her shoulders. However she concluded that it wasn’t something she should even be considering; because every step she had made towards becoming the Evil Queen had been one stop closer to Henry. And now I’ve lost him again, Regina thought to herself.

More than anything else she was beyond infuriated that there was another life-threatening dilemma that she would have to solve before she could attempt to make it back to her son. Henry, and to her dismay, Emma, had been all she could think about since they arrived back in the Enchanted Forest. She wished like she had never wished before that her plan had worked. That they were happy and together and enjoying life without the burden of knowing what they were missing, unlike she was at this very moment. All she could see in her mind’s eye was their faces, staring at her forlornly before getting in the bug and driving away from her forever.

“No”, she said out loud to herself. “No, no, no, no, no!” She screamed this time, picking up a small bottle off of the surface and clutched it tightly as hard as she could before throwing it to the ground with a smash. She span around then, her face tight with rage as she marched regally to the balcony and stared out across her beloved land. Closing her eyes, she attempted to calm herself down as Emma’s face flashed across her vision. She imagined Emma and Henry sitting around the table at breakfast, eating pancakes and talking about the silliest of things. It made her happy. She saw that the sun was fairly low in the sky and realised that she should be leaving soon if she was to make it back to the not-so-charmings in time for them to get into the castle before nightfall.

I will find them, thought Regina, I have paid the price before, and I will pay it again for them, a thousand times over.

As she moved towards the large set of doors she detoured to her ornate glass potions cabinet. She opened it up and quickly selected the two small blue vials she needed, finding them effortlessly as if she had been here just yesterday. She wrapped them up and stored them safely on her person, and with a swish of her skirts, Regina spun around and surged through the doorway, her plan instilling her with a new hope that one day soon she would see her son again.

* * *

 

 

The great stone archway loomed above as Regina rushed towards the field in front of her, making her way out of the castle. On exiting her chamber she had navigated the long series of corridors and turrets of steps like it had not been almost thirty years ago since she had last walked the halls. However, as much as she appreciated being home, it wasn’t truly home anymore. Her home was with Henry; their mansion in Storybrooke was home now and she had changed so much, and come so far that being in her castle didn’t feel quite right anymore. It suited a woman who no longer existed, a woman who Regina wished to leave firmly in the past.

Stepping onto the plush grass beneath the steps Regina suddenly felt like she was being watched, her perception heightened due to the residual magic in her castle. She pushed onwards, wary that she needed to get back to Snow and Charming before they sent out some kind of a search party for her, most likely consisting of Ruby and Granny and their impeccable senses of smell. Her foot had just crossed into the line of trees when she heard a rustling in the bushes to her right hand side.

“Show yourself you green freak!” she said loudly and aggressively to the shrubs, waiting for Zelena to emerge again and continue to wreak havoc on her already hideous day.

Before she even had a chance to turn her head she heard the unmistakable sound of a bow letting loose and an arrow whistling through the air. It made a slight whirring sound, something that her ears had become acutely attuned to in the days when her life was being constantly threatened by a particularly skilled bow-woman by the name of Snow White. Instantly, and without thinking, she raised her hand and simultaneously stepped out of the way, catching the arrow dead in the middle of the shaft.

Regina raised her hand and produced spontaneous flames as a man stepped out from behind a large holly bush, bow and hand held in the air in surrender.

“My apologies M’ady…I thought you were the Wicked Witch”, he said regretfully, his face becoming clearer as he walked slowly closer towards her.

Regina looked the man up and down. He was dressed in what she could only call peasants clothing; dark green britches, a woollen shirt and boots, with a rough brown cape fastened around his neck.

“And I thought you were the Wicked Witch.”

As the man moved closer to her something changed in his eyes, his facial expression clouding over.

He looked down at his feet as he spoke again, “My apologies…again…Your Majesty. I regret I couldn’t see your face from my hiding spot and it has been a long time since you have been seen in these parts. I assumed it was Zelena leaving your castl…”

“Enough talking. It’s quite alright. My reputation precedes me, no doubt. You should count yourself lucky that I have such quick reactions Mr…?” Regina asked, raising her eyebrows and awaiting his answer, glancing him up and down once again for good measure; something she was prone to do when exerting her dominating presence over unsuspecting individuals.

“Robin…” he said confidently, moving a step closer to Regina, “Robin of Locksley, at your service.”

The former Evil Queen looked him square in the face before replying, the corners of her mouth lifting somewhat menacingly.

“Ah, the thief. It seems your reputation precedes you also,” she smirked. She had heard of this man before, he had made quite the name for himself at one time, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor of all things. He should consider it a blessing that he never attempted to steal from me, thought Regina.

Bravely Robin replied, quirking his head at her in amusement at what he was about to say, “It seems so, however aren’t you also better known as the Evil Queen? I think if either of us have a reputation here yours blows mine out of the water.”

“Careful what you say bandit. I go by Regina now, thank you”, she said in a curt tone, her face sneering at this man’s cocky attitude while she placed her hands gracefully behind her back and strengthened her stance.

“Well, Regina, I suppose you have somewhere to be, queenly duties I assume. I should be letting you get on your way.”

“Yes, of course.” At this Robin turned around, rolling his sleeves up and slinging his bow over his shoulder in a casual fashion. “I presume you would also like your arrow back?” she questioned, tossing it in her hand and making him turn around again. He extended his left arm, plucking the arrow from her fingers and sliding it into his quiver before then extending his right hand.

“It was a pleasure to meet you Regina, I hope we shall meet again.”

Regina had been staring at her castle while he replied, her mind drifting to what it would have been like to raise Henry there, to be the Prince he was born to be. When she looked back at Robin’s outstretched hand she immediately noticed the marking on his forearm and her heart stopped for what felt like an eternity. She flashed back to the night with Tinkerbell where they followed the fairy dust and were lead to a tavern, to a man with a lion tattoo, the very same tattoo that was glaring at her from the arm of the thief she had coincidentally just crossed paths with. Coming out of her reverie Regina looked up at Robin, her face immediately growing dark and confused.

Concerned, Robin took another step closer to her.

“Is everything alright Your Majesty?”

Regina opened her mouth, staring at the man’s arm and taking a sharp breath before she turned around and breezed away, quickly disappearing into the forest and leaving Robin perplexed as to what had just happened.

* * *

 

 

As Regina walked briskly back to the make shift camp her mind was whirring a hundred miles a minute. She had never expected to see that tattoo again in her life, and to be honest she hadn’t even thought about it in over 30 years. But she immediately recognised it as identical to the one she had seen that night all those years ago, when she had been too frightened to even stay long enough to see the man’s face. As she recalled, the man’s hair had been shorter and lighter back then, but the tattoo was unmistakably the same. However, Regina paused her internal stressing at this new revelation. There were more important things to be thinking about at this moment than her supposed “true love”. Her son and Emma were more important than that.

Regina glanced up and looked at the woodland surrounding her. The trees were starting to thin out and the path that had been almost invisible within the woods was starting to become more foot-worn. From this she determined that she was close to the camp. Just minutes later she walked into the clearing filled with people, some sitting around small fires and conversing, children playing games. She made her way towards Snow and Charming and informed them quickly that the castle was clear and they should make preparations to leave. She looked around her and immediately laid eyes on Hook, who was sitting on a rock sharpening his sword.

“Pirate!” She yelled, striding towards him at an intimidating pace. He looked up from his sword and swiftly stood to his feet, sheathing his sword as he took two long steps to meet her.

“And to what pleasure do I owe your summons, Your Majesty?” He said, his swaggering attitude as prevalent as ever despite the ordeal they had just been through.

Keeping her voice low, Regina answered, “I may have established a plan for finding Emma and Henry. It seems highly unlikely that it will work, but it’s worth a shot.”

“Ah,” he said smugly, “bloody hell. The Evil Queen needs my assistance. I told you I can come in useful”, he winked.

“That’s quite enough of that attitude thank you very much. I just thought that you would be interested in seeing Miss Swan again at some point in your meaningless life. You’ve been wandering like a lost puppy ever since we arrived and its rather distracting,” she retorted.

He was quite clearly infatuated with her son’s other mother and to be quite honest, Regina wasn’t keen on the fact simply because it meant that he had been spending an increasing amount of time with her son. It also annoyed her for another reason, one that she would never admit given the chance. After Neverland Regina felt like she and Emma had made progress in their relationship, and she thought that the blonde realised it too. She definitely didn’t hate her anymore, and even though it caused her immense pain to know that her son was with Emma right now instead of with her, she might even go as far as to say that she liked the woman. Standing in front of Emma’s bug saying good-bye to Henry and Emma had been the hardest thing Regina had ever done, and she felt like she and the blonde had connected on another level. Regina remembered looking into Emma’s eyes communicating in a way they had never done before, their mutual love for Henry uniting them in that moment when Emma silently promised to protect Henry and look after him until Regina could be back in his life again. She actually missed her. However, it came to Regina’s attention that none of this seemed to matter now, as they were there and she was here. Her dislike for Hook would have to be put on hold for the time being. She needed him.

In the time that Regina had been lost in her thoughts it appeared that Hook had been too, as she now found him staring pensively across to the horizon. Regina moved her hand then, clicking her fingers in front of the man’s face to bring his attentions back to her. He jumped as if he had been worlds away and waited on Regina to speak.

“I need your help,” she said, sneering slightly at the words she wished never had to expel from her mouth.

A pleased smirk returned to Hook’s face at her words, but it didn’t reach his eyes and she could tell that he had been thinking about Emma. Just like she had.

“I’m all ears.”


	2. Fairytale Land Ain't So Fun Anymore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!
> 
> Chapter 2 has come around already! I've been blown away by the views i've had after only one chapter so i hope you all enjoy this one.  
> In advance, our ladies won't be in the same place/time for a few more chapters yet but don't fret, it'll come. The next few chapters might not be the most interesting, but they're necessary for setting up well...pretty much everything.  
> Anyway, i hope you enjoy. Comments/criticisms are always appreciated! Happy reading :D
> 
> Rosie xx

After Regina had explained her rather far-fetched plan, and Hook, to his credit, had listened carefully, he went to say a few last-minute goodbyes before he set off on his journey.

When he returned to her he appeared to have acquired a horse. He slung his pack on top before swinging himself up into the saddle and getting comfortable in his stirrups, making his way over to Snow and Charming. Regina watched as Snow reached her hand up to him and clasped it tightly, whilst David patted him on the leg and no doubt wished him a safe journey. He walked his horse away from them towards Regina and she walked slowly next to his horse until they were out of the Charmings’ direct line of sight.

“What did you tell them?” Regina asked pointedly, hoping that the pirate had obeyed her orders.

“Don’t worry, I told them that I can’t be stuck on dry land much longer and need to find my boat, wherever she is. Only part of what I have to do, but they didn’t need to know that.” He tightened the pack on his saddle once more and stared straight ahead into the forest through which was his destination.

Regina raised her head and placed her left hand on the horse’s neck, stroking it nonchalantly and replying once she had reigned in the feelings that were storming inside of her. Even after all these years and the memories associated with them just being near the powerful yet beautiful creatures still brought Regina some solace.

Hoping above all else that the pirate had the ability to succeed in his task and wasn’t going to run away and plunder and pillage or whatever else pirates did, she reached into the folds of her dress and pulled out the small wrap containing the bottles. Holding the package tightly in her hand she looked at Hook, a multitude of emotions running across her face.

“You’ll need these if you find her. It’s a memory potion. If I know Emma there’s no way she’ll believe what you’re saying, so you might want to give this to her sooner rather than later. Whatever you do, _don’t_ ”, she emphasised the word as she placed the bottle gently into Hook’s hand, “lose them. There’s a vial in there for Henry too. If you find them, go to Storybrooke, just tell Emma to go to where it should be. I don’t know how yet, but I’m going to make it reappear…. Find them”, she said with half pleading eyes, her Queenly mask still well and truly in tact.

“I’ll try my best.” He said with one more glance down at Regina as he placed the potions in the inside pocket of his jacket, a hopeful look in his eyes. Before she had a chance to say anything else, the leather-coated brigand pushed his heels firmly into his horse and galloped away without looking back.

Turning back towards the rowdy group of Storybrooke residents Regina saw that they were almost ready to leave for the short hike to the castle. Everyone was gathering the few belongings they had brought and beginning to follow Snow and Charming in a steady stream.

They made their way through the dense part of the forest. Regina walked near the front of the column but separated herself from the others. She knew that had Henry been there, she would have been happily conversing with some of the others but the lack of his presence made her feel detached from all those around her; the vague friendships she had made during and after Neverland drifted into the background as the weight of leaving him was constantly on her mind. So she continued to walk, in her own world. The ground was soft and mossy beneath her feet and she realised that she had missed the scent and the quiet of the forest. She had never really ventured into the forest that surrounded Storybrooke, always having been too busy to consider it.

Her train of thought was broken as she heard a loud screeching pierce her ears from the canopy above. Before she could even turn fully around an enormous winged monkey broke through the high up branches and dove towards she and Snow at full speed.

“Find cover!” Snow yelled, as the ape circled above them. The column of people behind them scattered into the shrubbery to hide from the oncoming attack. Instantly Regina turned around, her hand exploding with flame. As the monkey dove again she expelled a fireball at it, missing it narrowly and giving it the chance to attack. Before she could realise what was happening the monkey had grabbed her gown at the shoulder and pulled her violently into the air.

“Regina!” shouted Snow from below. Regina looked up at the creature and whilst summoning her magic again she felt a warm hand attach to her ankle, pulling her downwards and counteracting the strength of the monkey’s wings.

Regina and Snow came to a painful stop, the former monarchs a tangled mess of limbs as they fell to the ground hard and fast. However the monkey was circling above again and going in for another attack. She started to stand when she heard a voice shout from somewhere in the trees.

“Get down!” the man’s voice directed them. Regina heard rather than saw an arrow whizzing through the air where it caught the monkey mid-dive towards the pair who hadn’t yet managed to regain their footing.

Both women stood up swiftly and wiped the dirt off their dresses, searching in the shrubbery with frantic eyes for their rescuer. David sprinted over to Snow to assure that she was unharmed and during this distraction Regina, to her dismay, saw a familiar face step out from the brush; only this time he was flanked by several other men who, dare she say, looked even rougher that the thief himself did. She remained quiet as the group walked towards them, distracted by the thought that she now owed this man her life.

David immediately seemed to recognise the man and stepped away from his wife with his hand outstretched, as if to greet an old friend.

“Well, well, I can’t say I ever thought I’d see you again David, or what is it now? Prince Charming?” Robin states jokily, a smirk forming on his face.

“Robin…its been years. We owe you our thanks, truly,” David said as he grasped Robin’s hand firmly before pulling him into an embrace. Regina watched silently as he turned around, beckoning Snow over to meet this apparent acquaintance.

“Snow, this is Robin of Locksley, better known as Robin Hood, and these are his Merry Men,” he said, gesturing to the group gathered behind Robin. “This,” he continued, “is my wife, Snow White. And this,” he said, motioning Regina to move closer, “is Queen Regina.”

Snow extended her hand to Robin who kissed it graciously, as Regina stood silently brooding, hoping that this ordeal could soon be over with.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you M’lady”, he said after releasing Snow’s hand, “And I have already had the pleasure of meeting Queen Regina this afternoo-“.

“He would have killed me,” said Regina emphatically, “had it not been for my impeccable reactions. He mistook me for the Wicked Witch when leaving my castle” She glared, her face darkening further as she stared at his tattoo.

“And I apologise again Your Majesty,” Robin replied, bowing slightly, his face scrunched up in a grimace which the former Mayor was realizing seemed to be the only expression he was capable of showing.

Snow and Charming looked awkwardly between themselves before David took it upon himself to steer the conversation in a less awkward direction.

“We must continue on our journey but please, walk with us, I must hear about what the Merry Men have doing since I left you all those years ago.”

As they continued to walk Regina eyed up the band of thieves warily. She was glancing between them when she noticed one begin to roll his sleeves up. His left arm was blank, but as he moved the right sleeve further up his arm she saw the unmistakable marking of that fateful tattoo. Now she was confused. Tinkerbell had told her that the man in the tavern with the lion tattoo was her true love, but two of them had this tattoo. So which one was her true love? Was it Robin, or was it the other? The other man looked nothing like the man she had seen that night, he was shorter and fatter with brunette hair, but it had been over 30 years ago so he could have changed significantly by now. As they approached the castle Regina’s mind was over run with thoughts of what this meant and how she should figure it out.

 

* * *

 

  

Being back in her old castle was something Regina was sure she wouldn’t become accustomed to for a long while. After the group had established themselves in the main hall she excused herself to go to her chambers and change into a new dress; after all the one she had been wearing all day was dirty from the trek through the forest and the unfortunate monkey encounter. As well as this, she decided that she simply wanted to be alone. Charming, in his charming way, had invited the Merry Men to stay in the castle for the night and as much as she wanted to refuse them the thief had saved her life, so it was the least she could do. She needed to be alone and clear her mind because all she could think about was the stupid tattoos and what it all meant. She realised that it was the last thing she should be thinking about and that her mind should be focused on Henry, but she couldn’t stop considering that one of the men sitting in a room somewhere below her could be her true love. Even after everything that had happened she still wanted to believe that she could find love for herself, even if she didn’t deserve it. There was a stronger part of her that told her she was being weak, that the old Regina wouldn’t have even considered allowing a man to dictate her happiness, or told herself that she needed one to be happy. But she had been trying for so long now, and all she got in return was distrust from everyone she knew. Didn’t she deserve to have a happy ending like the rest of them? _Apparently not_ , Regina thought.

However, she couldn’t stop the thought that any man she involved herself with may one day have to become Henry’s father; and that was a thought she didn’t enjoy. Henry was hers…and Emma’s, and not anybody else’s. She despised the thought of Neal, or anyone else Emma might become romantically involved with becoming Henry’s father only a little more than she hated the thought of someone she might love becoming a part of his life. He was theirs. It dawned on her that the only person she would ever be able to stomach sharing Henry with was Emma, she had even started to enjoy co-parenting with her.

Regina had begun to miss Emma; not nearly as much as she missed Henry, but there were certain things about the blonde Savior that Regina has begun to appreciate. She was the only person who had ever really stuck with Regina; she believed her when no one else did, she trusted her, and more than anything she was the only person in her life that had ever really cared about what happened to her. Slowly Regina was beginning to realise that Emma was the only person that had ever treated her as an equal, she had been overpowered and oppressed by her Mother, Leopold and Rumple. Her relationship with Graham had been wrong in so many ways and she had been so young and naïve with Daniel. Emma was different though; she had always put Henry and Regina first no matter what. ‘ _He’s my son too’,_ Emma had once said to her, yet now it was the other way round, Regina was Henry’s mother too, and she had no doubt that if Emma even knew at that moment that Regina existed, she would be doing everything she could do reunite her with her son.

Regina wiped furiously at the angry tears that had begun strike their path down her face. _No,_ she said to herself, _no crying. You’re not allowed to cry until they’re both back with you. No more tears for sadness. Only for joy._

 

* * *

 

 

After returning to her chambers from an evening trip to the kitchens Regina settled herself in bed, wrapped up under her furs. She summoned several books from her library with a flick of her wrist as well as a decanter of her finest full-bodied red from Agrabah, which she was pleased to see Zelena hadn’t depleted during her stay here. The books explained that the tattoo must be some kind of magical insignia; they were apparently fairly common in groups, between ship crews or even armies. They appeared when an individual joined the group or was initiated in and stayed forever, binding the wearer to their faction. Regina was confused however, about David. Prince Charming had been part of the Merry Men at one time, but she was positive that he didn’t have the tattoo because there would have been many opportunities for Regina to see it. Regina resolved that she would have to discuss this with David, or Snow, as little as she wanted to.

For now her mind needed a rest from the incessant thoughts that had been pinging around in her head the whole day like pinballs. The wine had clouded her mind somewhat; now faces and names flitted and buzzed around in her head like gnats, not staying on one thing for long.

_Henry. Emma. Robin. Snow. Charming. Zelena._ _How do I get back? Where are they? Did the curse work? Are they happy? Will I ever see them again?_

_Tattoos. Monkeys. Lions. Henry. Emma._

_Henry._

_Emma._

She laid her head on the downy pillow, pulling the blankets tightly up to her chin.

Sleep evaded her for what seemed like hours but when it finally came it was filled with the most unsettling dream.

 

* * *

 

_Regina was walking in the middle of a deserted back road at dusk. The trees were huge and almost created a canopy over her head, standing in lines along her sides and running forward until they minimised into dark nothingness ahead of her. She didn’t know how long she had been walking, or where she was. There was something strangely familiar about the place, some thing strangely suffocating, almost like there were emotions swirling through the air._

_At first she thought her eyes were deceiving her, but slowly and surely she became certain that a form was emerging from the road in front of her, there was a clearing in the trees which made the person more visible under the light of the moon. They seemed to be staring up at it. Immediately becoming defensive she poised herself for conflict, moving to the edge of the road and covering herself slightly, the atmosphere making her feel even more cautious. She walked slowly along the opposite side of the road, creeping closer to the unknown individual. However, her wariness immediately dispersed when she began to see the slim form and long hair more clearly._

_“Emma…” she whispered, only a few hundred feet away from the woman now._

_Regina lost herself in thought and subconsciously expelled the word from her mouth again._ _“Emma,” she said, suddenly realizing that it had been out loud, but it was too late because the blonde in question was already staring at her with a look of shock and confusion._ _“Uhh…who are you?” Emma’s voice said warily but slightly aggressively while Regina stepped forward onto the smooth tarmac of the road._

_“Emma, don’t you know who I am?”_

_“Umm…no, should I?” the blonde answered back._

_Suddenly it dawned on Regina; breaking Pan’s curse had sent Emma away, so of course she wouldn’t know who she was. Regina began to get irrationally upset, curling up in a ball in her sleep, a look of anguish on her usually perfect features._

_“Its me Emma!” she cried out. She ran forward, reaching out but there was a force behind her pulling her slowly backwards._

_“Its me!” Regina said again, being dragged backwards with more force now. The trees were becoming wavy, slowly melting down and behind and around her like murky candle wax._

_“I’m sorry! I don’t know you!” the other woman replied._

_The force began to drag Regina upwards now, pulling her into something soft and warm._

_“Tell Henry I love him!” Regina struggled to say, both from her emotions and her gaining distance away from Emma._

_“What?” Emma yelled, “How do you know my son? Who are you?”_

_Only just managing to shout, “Regina”, at the top of her lungs the woman disappeared into thin air._

* * *

 

 

** NYC 2013 **

 

The blonde mother woke up startled with the name Regina reverberating inside her head, like an echo bouncing around in her ears. She had had the most vivid dream. It was almost like it had really happened. It was especially strange because usually in her dreams she remembered snippets; random images, faces, sensations and feelings but this time it was like the whole scene was real. It was the same road that she had seen in her nightmares many times before but this time there was someone there.

Regina. Who is Regina? Emma asked herself as she rubbed her face in her hands and flopped onto her back on the bed.

_She knew me._ Emma thought. _She knew Henry. It was so real and she was so sad yet it was so familiar._  The residual emotions she had been left with after the encounter were still wreaking havoc on her brain and she felt like she had experienced them before, in that exact same place. But she had never been there, so how could that be true? Her heart was pounding inside her chest for the woman who was in such distress. For an indeterminate length of time she had felt like something was missing in her otherwise perfect life; she had a beautiful son, she enjoyed her job, but there was always a niggling feeling inside her that this wasn’t who she truly was, and the dreams she had on a nightly basis only solidified these thoughts.

_Anyway,_ thought Emma, breaking out of her contemplation and deciding it was about time she extricated herself from her bed and got her son ready for school. _It was only a dream._

 


	3. Memento

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> Hey guys!  
> From me to you on this wonderful Christmas day (although it isn't actually Christmas for me anymore), an update! I hope you are all having a great time doing whatever you are doing to celebrate, and if you aren't then i hope this will make things slightly better!  
> This chapter is a bit shorted than the last but i wanted this and the next one to be separate, so in return i will try to update again on Monday :) Thank you to all who have read, favourited or reviewed! 
> 
> Merry Christmas, enjoy!
> 
> Rosie 
> 
> As always no copyright intended.

**NYC 2014**

The high-rise buildings towered over her on either side as she walked through Midtown on her way to work. The one thing she liked most about New York was also the one thing she despised it most for. It was never quiet. On some days, the honking horns and people yelling served their purpose; they distracted her from her thoughts. But there was one thing that she simply couldn't get off her mind. The visitor this morning had not only brought up feelings about the uncertainty of her place in life, but had reminded her of an encounter that was very similar to the one she had yesterday, only in her dreams.

Still to this day Emma remembered the dark haired woman as vividly as she had when she had woken up that morning, and she couldn't help but think that there was something strange happening. The woman in her dream had expected Emma to know who she was and the man this morning had clearly been hoping the same. She didn't want to derive too much of her evidence from this dream, because it was only that, a dream, but it had been so real that she recollected it as she would something that had happened in reality.

Glancing at the people around her, she turned to walk into Starbucks, really, really, hoping that the weird pirate man hadn't decided it would be a good idea to follow her. She couldn't deal with that shit today. After grabbing her usual cinnamon hot chocolate she exited the coffee shop and continued down the busy New York street.

His clothing made him stand out immediately to the blonde's eyes. Over the throng of people she spied his dark, oily hair and the shoulders of his long leather coat. Before she even had the chance to run into a doorway or duck or turn around he noticed her and began making his way swiftly through the crowd. She thought about running, but there were too many people, and part of her was just a tiny bit intrigued as to who this man was and what the hell he wanted from her.

"Emma!" he shouted over the dull roar everything happening around them.

She put on her best 'fuck off' face and met him on the edge of the sidewalk.

"Okay, what the hell do you want with me? Because I don't know about you, but where I come from its bad manners to be sent away from someone's door and then stalk them," she emphasised for good measure.

"Swan, I just need to-"

His face dropped as she interrupted him. "No, you don't need to do anything. The only thing you need to do is stay away from me." She tried to walk away, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back in front of him. The cloudy look on her face darkened into thunder but before she could reprimand him once more he began to speak.

"Its important Swan. You're the only hope. Your parents are in danger. I know you don't know me, but you do, I promise. How else would I know your name or that you have a son, called Henry?"

"Stay away from my son you fucking creep, and I don't have any parents, so now I know you're spewing bullshit" she said, wrenching her arm out of his grasp and checking her phone for the time "You're making me late for work, so fuck off and hopefully I'll see you never." This time he let her go. She made it four steps before his voice made her turn around again.

"Regina sent me," he said almost hopefully, even thought it was coupled with the knowledge that she wouldn't know whom he was talking about. But she did, she'd heard that name before. The beautiful, sad, intriguing woman in her dream had been called Regina, and this made her stop in her tracks.

She walked back up to him slowly with a quizzical look on her face. Okay pirate, she thought, now you have my attention.

"Meet me outside that building," she pointed along the street to a tall glass structure that glittered blue in the wintery sunlight, "at four pm sharp. I'll give you five minutes," she said as she turned away from him.

* * *

 

Emma left work at 3:59 precisely. She had never been one for keeping to a schedule but she had been thinking about the pirate and Regina all day. Regina, Regina, Regina. She felt an inexplicable connection to this woman that she didn't even know existed, but who apparently might actually be real.

True to his word, the man was waiting outside for Emma, sitting on one of the smokers' ledges that lined the front of the building. She walked up and sat down next to him, wary to remain at least two feet away. She didn't really know why but although this man was creepy and stalky, she didn't feel all that threatened by him.

A smirk covered his face, the same as the one he had worn this morning before he so disgustingly kissed her on her own doorstep.

"So Swan, what made you change your mind," he said cheekily.

She didn't really know how to reply, even though she knew exactly what had made him worth listening to.

She let her thoughts centre for a second before she said quietly, "Regina," simply because there was no other reason., and it seemed stupid to lie.

"You remember her?" he asked, seemingly confused by the sentiment.

"No, I don't know who she is. But I had a dream. Someone called Regina. She knew me but I didn't know her, just like you seem to know me. I don't understand."

The pirate looked up at her then with sincerity in his previously glinting eyes. He reached into his coat and pulled out some pictures and handed them to Emma. They were pictures of her and Henry in a town called Storybrooke.

Emma was beyond confused now. "What are these? I've never seen these pictures before…we've never been to a place called Storybrooke. How can this be possible? They must be photo shopped."

"They're photo-what love?" he said, perplexed.

"Photo-shopped," Emma replied curiously, "you know…like faked?"

Hook now looked less confused. "Even if they were forgeries, why would I have them? You must admit that something doesn't quite feel right here, that something feels missing?"

"I guess so, I guess I've been feeling that for a while now, I guess for my whole life. But life doesn't always happen the way you want it to, you don't always get everything you want."

"Your paren-" he started before she interrupted for the third time that day.

"Now you're just talking crap…" she started.

"Because you think you're an orphan?"

"I am an orphan," Emma stated resolutely, nodding to herself as if to affirm the statement in her own mind.

"What if I told you differently? What if I told you that you have family, parents, friends that you don't remember? What if I told you that there's a whole year of your life that you're missing?" he pointed at the pictures then, "this was taken a year ago, in Storybrooke."

"A year ago I was here, in New York, we had just moved here from Boston."

"Wow," he said emphatically, "Regina really did do a good job."

"Now this Regina again, who is she? You sound like a crazy person." Emma was really beginning to have enough of this man. Telling her she had parents was one thing, but telling her that a year ago she was in some place she had never even heard of? Emma called bullshit.

"I actually prefer dazzling rapscallion," he replied, raising his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

Emma looked at him imploringly; with each open of his mouth he proved himself to be even more of an asshole. The blonde's dislike for him was growing with every second.

"This is crazy. How could I have forgotten an entire year? This doesn't even make sense. No. This is ridiculous. Your time is up. I'm done here," she moved to get up as she spoke, picking up the pictures and staring at them one more time.

"Emma wait. I know you have no reason to trust me…"

"No, you know what, I really don't. You should give me one reason not to punch you in the face."

"Just listen. You have no reason to trust me, but I also have no reason to lie. Use your superpower. Yes, I know about that. Use it and tell me that I'm lying."

Emma's mouth hung open. "How…?" she was speechless. Okay, this man might have been able to know her name, and Henry's name, but there is no possible way of him knowing about her superpower. The only person who knew about that was Henry, so what the hell was happening here? She stared at the man. His body language was open; he was sitting still; none of the telltale signs of lying showed on his face. She determined that he was probably telling the truth, which she really didn't want to think about because it opened up a whole, endless can of worms for her.

"Am I lying?" he asked confidently.

"No… I mean I don't think so. But still, this is ridiculous. It's bizarre. How could this even be true?"

"Just trust me, Swan. I want you to do one thing for me," he said as he reached into his pocket again and pulled out the two wrapped up vials of potion. "I promise you there's an explanation."

"Not one that makes sense," she said, slightly aggressively.

"It will if you drink this," he said, holding one of the blue bottles in front of her.

"If what you're saying is true, if… then everything is going to change, and I'm not sure I'm okay with that. I like my life," she said with conviction.

"But what if you liked the life you left behind more? You're missing out Swan, on your life, and Henry's, with the people you love. Follow your gut, Swan, it'll tell you what to do."

"Henry always says that," she said with an anxious expression on her face. She had already made her decision. She owed it to herself, and to Henry to at least see if this borderline maniac was telling the truth. And the woman, Regina, was still on her mind. She had told Emma to tell Henry she loved him. She was someone from this old life - whatever that meant - someone who obviously loved Henry a lot, and it might be that she even owed it to Regina. This woman had sent the pirate here to find her, that had to count for something.

He was still holding the potion in his outstretched hand when Emma made her decision. She reach out and plucked the small vial from his fingers. The cork slipped easily from the bottle and she touched it to her mouth, draining the sweet liquid in one gulp. Her eyes turned gold.

Suddenly, in her mind's eye images began flashing just like in her dreams. Only this time she understood them. She saw her bug, the clock tower in Storybrooke, Regina. There was her mother and father and lots and lots of purple smoke and more Regina. She remembered Gold and Ruby and everyone else and she recalled Neverland and Pan's curse and everything that had truly happened in her life. The last thing she saw before she opened her eyes was the road, the road from her dream. The last thing she remembered was driving away from Storybrooke and seeing Regina's grief stricken face in her rear view mirror; emotion pouring from her face as it was from Emma's. She remembered wanting to turn around and pull the woman into a fierce embrace, but knowing she couldn't. She opened he eyes, the pirate appearing through the sea of tears.

"Hook," she gasped, feeling as if everything had just fallen into place but simultaneously flown completely up into the air.


	4. Curiosity Killed The Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: 
> 
> Hey Guys!
> 
> As promised here is an update for you! This chapter is shorter than the last one (sorry!) but contains some pretty exciting information that's going to rock the boat a bit...just not quite yet. It starts off after the dream, but this time from Regina's perspective. This is the last chapter where we'll be jumping around in time...
> 
> The next update will probably be Thursday, as i won't have time to update before then thanks to work and New Years. 
> 
> Thanks for all the views, favourites and reviews. Criticism/ideas are always appreciated! 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Rosie xx

** Fairytale Land 2013 **

 

There was a chill in the oppressive stone walls of Regina’s castle when she awoke, as opposed to the usual warmth of her insulated and heated house back in Storybrooke. The light sheen of cold sweat that layered her body also wasn’t doing her any favours. She pulled the sheets tighter around herself as she attempted to return her breathing back to a normal rate.

 

She had seen Emma. As Regina well knew, dreams worked differently in her current realm than in the world where the blonde was, but something about Emma’s magical abilities, even when lying dormant, had allowed a dual dream to occur. It was like Henry and Aurora’s shared dream. They were either experienced purposely, one person seeking to find another in the dream realm, or subconsciously. Regina suspected that her thoughts of Emma had prompted their dream, and her thoughts about Henry too. One thing she was sure of was that Emma had experienced the exact same thing, wherever she was right now. She had felt her presence. The blonde she saw the previous night had been the real Emma, not a figment of Regina’s mind created from memories of the woman.

 

Seeing Emma, although it had been distressing and emotionally draining, had also been wonderful. There was part of her that had truly been sure that she would never see the other woman’s face again, and now she had, all she wanted to do was to see it once more. The moment she had laid her eyes upon Emma her heart jumped into her throat ferociously but that feeling was shattered when Regina realised that the blonde didn’t know who she was. It was heartbreaking. It had only been two days, realistically, but Regina missed the woman more than she cared to admit, and she missed her son more than she could put into words.

 

She had an awkward morning encounter with the Merry Men that featured the supposedly “Evil” Queen practically running – albeit regally - across the yard away from them in order to avoid a situation she didn’t think her fragile psyche could cope with at the moment. It wasn’t like she would ever _admit_ that she was feeling fragile; but Regina just didn’t have it in her to fight that day. Last night’s dream had left her psychologically drained and the Charmings – mostly Snow - had been exasperatingly annoying at every possible moment. She inadvertently started walking towards the stables, all she wanted to do was go out for a ride and clear her head, escape the noise of the castle, but the only horses they had were packhorses and she couldn’t exactly gallop them through the woods. Zelena was also lurking somewhere in area, and after this thought Regina resigned herself to the conclusion that there wouldn’t be any riding in the foreseeable future.

 

She needed to talk to David and Snow about the Merry Men and it was almost evening; she had been putting it off all day. Regina wasn’t entirely sure why she was pursuing this whole tattoo fiasco; it was probably something to do with the fact that she was driving herself up the walls already, and really didn’t have anything better to do. Nothing could be done at this moment to help reunite her with Henry and Emma, so this was the only thing she could thing of to distract her thoughts away from the two of them.She wasn’t sure how to bring the subject up without the Charmings wondering why she was so curious and for a few seconds she contemplated telling them the truth, but this thought fled as quickly as it had arrived.

 

* * *

 

Her feet lead her to the courtyard where her favourite apple tree had once stood, the huge circular plot in the centre was now hollow from where the curse had magically uprooted the tree and taken it to Storybrooke. She wished she could have brought it back with her this time, but there hadn’t been a spare millisecond to think about how to do so because her mind had been clouded with the emotion of leaving Henry.

 

Lost in her thoughts, Regina didn’t notice David come to a stop next to the white marble bench she was resting on and take a seat silently next to her. They both sat in stillness for a number of minutes, the brunette now noticing who had taken up residence beside her. She glanced at the tall, broad man next to her. She had always been much more amicable with Mr. Charming than with Mrs; he usually didn’t share his wife’s penchant for meddling and recently, the similarities between he and Emma had been more obvious to her than ever before. She and Snow had too much history for Regina to see any of Emma in her, and they were so vastly different, but the blonde seemed to share an increasing number of characteristics with her father. She was bold and brave, good looking and gallant, confident, a little bit cocky, and Charming in every way he was. Maybe that’s why she was contemplating opening up to him.

 

_You have nothing left to lose at this point Regina. Just ask him._

Before she spoke, she steeled her face into the most perfect version of her mask. She couldn’t deal with the humiliation of what her questions may imply, or let him know that she actually might care about what the result of this whole mess was going to be.

 

“May I ask you a question?” Regina requested politely as she turned her body to look at the Prince side on.

 

Ever the gentleman, he gave her a short but reassuring smile and answered, “of course you may Regina.” _That sounds like something Emma would say._

 

She almost stopped herself, but the emotional trauma of the last few days had forced her guard down and she found herself speaking before her brain could catch up with her mouth.

 

“This is going to sound strange, but please don’t question why I’m asking. I had wondered about your involvement with the Merry Men,” she asked formally, then added, “and I am curious about the lion head tattoos.”

 

“Strange questions Regina…but regardless,” he began his story, starting from years before Snow or Regina knew him, years before he was even a prince.

 

“I was living on the farm at the time, with my mother. This was before King George, long before I became Prince James; I was only thirteen or so. We were struggling desperately for money and it was getting so dire that it looked like we might lose our home. I was out in the field one day when Robin and his men came out of the forest. They stopped me and asked if there were any large homes or castles around, or any roads that were commonly travelled by the wealthy aristocracy. Of course, I told him that we were just a small village of farmers with nothing to our names other than the animals we tended. I asked who they were, and they introduced themselves as the Merry Men, they told me that they stole from the rich and gave to the poor…and of course we were desperate, so I asked if I could go with them. Long story short, I left my village and rode with Robin for almost two years. I can’t say I was proud of what we did, but we were kids back then, Robin was only my elder by four years. We did what we could, and I returned home every few months with money for my mother. It was shortly after I left them that King George found me and my alias as Prince James began.” David stopped for a moment, letting Regina ask any questions she might have.

 

Dusk was beginning to settle over the immense stone parapets of the castle. The sun now lay low in the sky behind one of the towers, casting the courtyard into shadow. It wasn’t cold yet, but the chill of the night crept in around then slowly.

 

Regina had to admit she was vaguely impressed by David’s story. She realised then that she didn’t really know all too much about David’s past before Snow, and it made her insides glow to think that Snow White’s charming prince wasn’t always the goody-two-shoes that he was now. She smiled a shit-eating grin…internally of course. 

 

“I had no idea you were such a miscreant Mr. Nolan. Do continue, what about the tattoos…?” she asked hesitantly.

 

“Well, Robin had the tattoos created with a spell, I’m not sure by whom. They appear on the body once you are fully bonded into the Merry Men. I gained mine after about four months of travelling with them.” David moved to continue, but Regina interrupted him before he had the chance.

 

“You say that they’re magically created? I have heard of such a thing before but they stay forever, and I may be mistaken but I have never seen a tattoo on your arm.”

 

“As I was going to say Regina…”, he said looking at her accusingly for interrupting him, “I gained mine after four months, but when I left them and was adopted by King George he forced me to have it removed. He said although the crest looked remarkably like his own, the tattoo itself was related to the notorious band of thieves, which is understandable, I suppose. So he took me to the blue fairy and she was able to remove it because a fairy had created the spell in the first place; one who wasn’t as powerful as she, so she managed to undo the magic successfully.”

 

“Do you know who this fairy was? The one who created the spell?”

 

“I have no idea I’m afraid, but I’m sure Robin would still remember. Why did you want to know about this Regina?” he asked, not managing to stifle his nosiness at why the Queen was asking him such specific questions about his past.

 

Regina rose to her feet then, turning to David before speaking;

 

“No reason at all, I was just interested. Thank you very much.” She said curtly before swishing her dress train and striding across the courtyard, heels clacking emptily on the stone path as she made her way inside the castle.

 

* * *

 

 

Regina spent the next day sitting in her chambers, reading up on several things including magical tattoos and true love, the latter being something that she hadn’t realised until now that she didn’t know all that much about. The prospect of being sociable today had been too much for her, so instead she watched the interactions of her fellow Storybrooke residents through her magic mirror, all the while keeping a watchful eye out for Zelena.

 

She sat, waiting for something interesting to ripple across the glass. When she saw Robin and Tinkerbell speaking together in the Great Hall she immediately halted the rotation of mirrors with a click of her fingers. This could be interesting; she wasn’t aware that Robin and Tink knew each other, so what could be happening here, she wondered.

 

Their faces were slightly warped by the undulation of shiny surface, but it was clear enough that Regina could make out their facial expressions, and luckily they were close enough to the mirror that the brunette could just about make out what they were saying.

 

A look of pure shock covered the woman’s face as she began to listen and heard that the two characters in front of her were not strangers…they had met before.

 

“Well, it certainly has been a while Tink,” he said fondly, reaching out and pulling her into a short embrace. “It was such fun when you used to come and ride with us… I will always be upset that you had to leave.”

 

“Oh Robin,” Tinkerbell replied in her accented voice, her hand still resting on his upper arm. “I have missed you, and the men. I like to think I broke most of their hearts the day I left,” she chuckled.

 

“You were the Merry Men’s own fairy mascot,” he said teasingly, “and yes, you almost certainly did, some more than others,” he said, remembering the day she left; young Will Scarlet was miserable for weeks. He had been terribly in love with her and her abandonment of the group had almost torn him in two.

 

Tink grabbed Robin’s arm then and admired her handiwork from all those years ago. She ran her fingers over the flesh gently; tracing the lines of the design and using what little magic she had now to make them slightly sharper.

 

Robin looked up at her then from where he had also been staring at the tattoo.

 

“It still looks as good today as it did when you created the spell, its barely changed.”

 

The breath Regina had been inhaling caught in her throat and choked her. The anger immediately bubbled up inside of her and she felt the purple power within her crackle with wrath. With a flick of her wrist the mirror was dark.

 

She reached to the table next to her and found her flask of wine from the previous night. She poured herself a large glass of the rich, red liquid and drained it in two gulps, pouring herself another before she allowed herself to contemplate what she had just seen.

 

Tinkerbell created these tattoos. She created them _before_ she used the fairy dust to find Regina’s true love. Regina’s mind’s eye flashed back to that moment outside the tavern with Tink and she felt humiliated. Tink might not have known which member of the Merry Men was sitting there, but she knew who they were; she knew that it was _one_ of them. Regina was beyond furious. Since Neverland she and Tinkerbell had been getting on well, but now all she could wonder was whether Tink had known all along who her true love was and not said anything. She needed to find out. And the fairy needed to pay. It did cross her mind that she shouldn’t care this much, but it was a welcome distraction. It wasn’t like she really cared that much about having a true love, and she didn’t really _want_ anyone, other than the pair that had been missing from her life for four days now, she just wanted to know who it was to satisfy her own painful curiosity.

 


	5. Home Sweet Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Hey guys!
> 
> I didn’t think I’d get a chance to update today but I ended up finishing work early so here we go! I hope you enjoy this chapter. From here on out everything is set in present day Storybrooke (unless I decide to write some more flashbacks, which I may definitely do – if that’s something you guys would like to see). Thank you for the reviews, views and follows and as always comments/criticisms are appreciated.
> 
> I hope you all had a wonderful NYE, or at least better than mine, which consisted of working a 14 hour shift. Boo. Anyway, have fun, enjoy!
> 
> Rosie xx
> 
> I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of its characters (otherwise SwanQueen would have been together 3 years ago).

  **NYC 2014**

Emma and Hook walked side-by-side through the rush-hour streets of New York back to the apartment. Henry would be home from school by now and the blonde was still trying to figure out how to explain to Henry that she needed him to drink something which looked decidedly like a poison out of one of his books. _Maybe I should just slip it in his hot chocolate?_ She asked herself, before promptly deciding that no, she wouldn’t do that. Regina would kill her.

Although she was relieved that Hook had been able to find her and return her memories, part of her wished she had just walked away from him that morning and never seen him again. Part of her wished he had never said Regina’s name. Her life in New York was good…great even. There were no ogres or curses or maniacal fairytale villains hiding around the corner to ruin her life at any moment. She missed Storybrooke, but she missed the people; her friends and her family, not the actual place. Even though it hadn’t been real, life had been so calm in New York, so domesticated, so…normal.

Emma spent the entire walk listening to Hook explain the little he knew about what had happened. Essentially all he knew was that Regina had sent him to find her. He found his ship and Ariel, and managed to transport himself to this world after selling his ship again. He didn’t know if the others were back in Storybrooke yet, but that is where they would go. Buried in her own thoughts the blonde hadn’t noticed all the shifty looks she and the pirate had been getting as they walked along; probably due to Killian rather than her. The pair crossed the road to Emma’s apartment and she buzzed them in, leading Hook up the stairs.

She opened the door to the apartment and immediately laid her eyes on Henry, stretched out regally on the sofa with his feet propped up on the arm, just how Emma imagined Regina would sit if she knew nobody was watching. His beloved book was still in his hand and he didn’t even flinch when they came in he was so immersed.

“Henry,” Emma said quietly, her apprehensiveness for this conversation showing in her face. Hook stood back slightly, not wanting to greet the boy who didn’t yet know who he was.

“Hey Ma,” Henry replied nonchalantly, not even bothering to glance up from his book.

“Hey Kid, can you put the book down for one minute,” she asked jokily, but her tone was shadowed by something heavier. “I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”

Henry looked up at her sheepishly then, noticing the man in the background. He huffed sarcastically whilst folding over the page of his book and placing it on the coffee table.

Emma gestured to the man standing behind her. “Henry, this is Ho-Killian, we used to – uh – work together,” Emma quickly covered. She didn’t want to tell him that this man was the cause of the disruption yesterday morning.

“Uhhhh, okay…”, he replied warily. His Mom was acting weird, like really weird. And his Mom only acted weird when she was trying to hide something from him. “It’s nice to meet you Killian,” Henry said, reaching his hand out to shake the pirate’s. _Such a little gentleman_ , Emma thought, _thanks Regina._ She smiled subconsciously.

Emma walked towards her son as he sat back down on the sofa. Before the awkward silence could take over too much she knelt down in front of him at his eye level and grabbed his hands in her own.

“Henry,” she said softly, “this is going to sound really weird,” she looked at him for approval, which he gave, “but I need you to just stick with me for a minute okay kiddo?”

He nodded.

“Something bad happened Henry,” she said as she watched his face fall.

“Something which you don’t remember, and neither did I until Killian helped me. You always tell me to trust my gut, and I did, and Killian helped.”

“What do you mean something bad happened?”, Henry interrupted, “Are you okay?” His face contorted with confusion and worry.

“Shit…I mean…ugh….I Probably shouldn’t have started like that. I’m fine buddy, and so are you, but…god this is hard to explain. Its all going to become clear in a second but right now I just need you to trust me okay?”

“Okay Mom,” he said happily, with only a slight hint of apprehension in his voice now. Emma was continually amazed by the trust her son put in her. She didn’t feel like she’d ever done much to deserve it, and when she was his age she surely wouldn’t have trusted someone so easily.

The blonde looked behind her at Hook, reaching out her hand and wiggling her fingers as a signal. He reached into his pocket then and pulled out the other vial of memory potion, placing it gently in Emma’s hand for the second time that day.

Emma turned the bottle over in her hand in contemplation. If she gave Henry the potion, that would be it, they would have to go back. She didn’t want to go back, she wanted to stay in their apartment forever and play video games and eat pancakes and popcorn and hide from reality. _But I can’t do that can I? Because I’m the Saviour, and I need to save everyone. Again._ The only thing that stopped her from dropping the potion on the ground at that moment was the thought of Regina, how desperate she must have been to send Hook of all people after Henry and his other mother. She hated Hook, but she put her faith in him. Emma realised then that the only person she _really_ cared about seeing back in Storybrooke was Regina. If it weren’t for her son’s adoptive mother she would probably stay in New York and never look back. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to see her parents again, but even after 4 years there was some unresolved tension between them.

Emma held the small bottle in her hand and extended it to Henry. “I know this makes no sense kid, but I need you to drink this. And I promise, I _promise,_ ” she emphasised, squeezing his hands just a bit tighter, “everything will make sense if you do.”

“You want me to drink that? Why?” Henry asked, confused. He picked up the vial and turned it in his hands, examining it. “It looks like something from Harry Potter… Its not like, the Draught of Living Death or something is it?” he asked, half joking but Emma could tell that he was scared, and unfortunately a sleeping curse was actually something they had experienced before.

“No kid,” she laughed in reply, “it’s not the Draught of Living Death, I promise. I took one and I’m fine, look!” she said, gesturing to herself.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll take it,” he replied, immediately opening the bottle and emptying it into his mouth.

Damn that kid is brave, Emma thought to herself while Henry’s eyes pinged wide open and turned a very light blue colour. She knew what was happening, it had happened to her earlier that day, all of his memories of Storybrooke were flashing through his mind like fast-forwarding a movie. Suddenly, his eyes returned to normal.

“Ma!” Henry cried.

“Henry,” she said embracing him and holding him while he got back to grips with reality.

Henry looked up from her shoulder then and jumped to his feet.

“Killian!” he yelled, running over to the older man and hugging round his waist. “Well done, you did good. It can’t have been easy to convince Emma to take that potion.”

“No it wasn’t boy,” he laughed, “there was a _lot_ of shouting.”

“Now now, I didn’t shout _that_ much. Thanks for coming to find us Hook, I really appreciate it.” Emma said as she ruffled her son;s hair lovingly.

The pirate looked happy with himself. “You’re welcome Swan, but I didn’t really have much of a choice. When the Evil Queen gives you orders, you don’t say no,” he smirked.

“My Mom sent you?” Henry said, his face lighting up even more than it did when he saw Emma again. “I knew she’d figure something out!”

He turned to his other mother then, “Ma, we need to go and find her. We need to go now! Please?”

“I don’t know Henry, what we have here is good, its great. And there’s no magical monsters or crazy immortal children to take you away.” She looked upset, but Henry always knew exactly what to say to her.

“Mom, a hero would go back. You’re the Saviour. So you have to be the hero. Please? What if Mom and Gram and Gramps are in danger?”

Emma was emotionally exhausted, but she knew that he son was right.

“Okay kid, lets just gather some things together.” She looked over to Killian then, a thankful smile playing on her features.

“I guess we’re going to Storybrooke…”

 

** Storybrooke 2014 **

Regina strode briskly out of the front door of 108 Mifflin Street and into the icy winter air. As she walked down the path, a light sheen of snow covering the way towards her Benz which was in exactly the same spot as it had been a year ago, she reflected on how surreal it still felt to be back in Storybrooke without her son or his mother.

The curse that had brought them back again had recreated the town exactly as she had created it all those years ago. As far as Regina had seen everything was exactly the same, down to even the minutest details, and from this she concluded that the person who cast the curse must be a pretty powerful practitioner of magic. But the problem was, they didn’t know who had sent them there. All Regina knew was that she had met the person in that missing year. She must have. She knew that there were some things that were very important; fundamental clues in working all of this out, but it was as if she was half drugged and her fuzzy brain just couldn’t pinpoint anything.

Her mind was on such an analytical overdrive that whilst driving through the middle of town - past the library and the clock tower - on her way to the Town Hall for a meeting about the newly enacted curse and its castor, she almost missed the bright yellow bug parked just outside Granny’s Diner. The former Queen applied the brakes so suddenly that she lurched forward, almost hitting her head on the steering wheel in the process.

Regina killed the engine suddenly, yanking off her seatbelt while she looked around her for any sign of her son and Emma, _but of course they’re in Granny’s_ , she thought, _they don’t even bother to come and find me; they just fill their stomachs, of course._ She couldn’t help but grin to herself at the idea that just through the door, Henry and Emma were sitting in their booth shovelling fries and hamburgers into their faces whilst gulping down large mouthfuls of hot cocoa, undoubtedly with cinnamon on top. She doubted that either of them had changed that much.

She glanced up at the clock tower that was still frozen; the Saviour may have returned but they certainly had a lot of work to go before the curse was broken.

The brunette steeled herself for several long minutes, looking around the town and taking in her creation once more. When she realised she was simply delaying inevitable she clutched her keys painfully in her hand and stepped out of the Mercedes. She locked the car behind her and took one last deep, longing breath before she pulled out the Evil Queen façade. Her eyes narrowing, posture straightening, until she was ready to walk through the door of Granny’s and be greeted with the two faces that had been ingrained into her mind for the last year.

Gently, she pushed the worn wooden door, feeling some of the flaking paint fall as her hand moved against the frame. A sharp ringing broke the tension Regina felt in the air and the bell above the door sounded to show that someone had entered. Immediately she found her eyes flitting around the small room, taking in all the patrons until they came to rest upon a pair of sparkling emerald pools. She allowed herself to drown in the weightlessness that those eyes provided her for only a few seconds before she moved her gaze to the not-so-small form coming towards her.

“Mom!” Henry yelled, running full pelt across the diner and into Regina’s open arms. It had only been a year, but he had grown so much and his voice was at least an octave lower than it had been when she had last seen him.

“Henry”, was all the he brunette mother could manage before tears began slipping down her cheeks freely. In this moment she didn’t care what everyone thought of her, because the moment she had been dreaming of for what seemed like forever was finally coming true.

After a long minute, Henry pulled his head up from Regina’s chest and looked up at her, tears in his own eyes.

“I missed you so much Mom,” he said, gazing up at her with all the emotion she had craved for years after Emma Swan had arrived in Storybrooke. “Sorry we didn’t come straight to find you but we were really hungry,” he said cheekily, looking over at his other mother then, who was still gazing at Regina in what appeared to be awe.

Henry grabbed Regina’s hand and practically dragged her over to the booth in the far corner, their booth.

Emma watched the pair as they came towards her, her heart beating in her chest. She hadn’t known how she would feel when she saw Regina, but now all she could think about was the dream she’d had during the missing year. It made her heart ache in a special way for her son’s other mother, because she knew how desperate Regina had been to see her son again, and now her dream was real.

Regina and Henry slid into the booth across from the blonde, the woman a lot more graceful than her now gangly son.

“Hi”, Emma said, looking Regina nervously in the eye and giving her a shy smile. The blonde was still in shock that she was actually here, in Storybrooke. This time two days ago she had been happily making breakfast for her son, completely unaware that Regina or Storybrooke or even her own mother existed. _Crap,_ Emma thought, _Snow._ However, her train of thought was interrupted when Regina replied.

“Hi”, Regina said, also somewhat nervously. “So, Hook found you then I take it? Or did he fail in his task and you magically got back here on your own?” She said, smirking. 

“The man travelled through worlds, found me, convinced me to drink some potion and brought us back to you and you still hate him?” Emma laughed externally, but internally she was berating herself. _‘Brought us back to you’, really Emma? Really?_ However the former Queen didn’t seem to notice Emma’s slip up.

“I wish I could have seen him making Ma drink the potion”, Henry giggled, “It must have been hilarious.”

“Hey, enough Kid, eat your hamburger and be quiet,” she scalded him jokingly, wiggling her finger in his general direction.

Regina laughed halfheartedly at her son, she really was intrigued as to how Hook convinced Emma that fairytale characters really existed.

“So, what made you drink it? What made you listen to him?” Regina asked quietly.

“Well,” Emma laughed, still appalled at how tactless the pirate had been, “first he turned up at our door, called me Swan, and kissed me, which needless to say didn’t work and only made me angry”, she chuckled. The blonde looked up at Regina to see a frown on her face, she liked to think that it was the mention of Hook kissing her, not that Regina had any reason to be jealous, but in reality it was probably the thought of Hook kissing anyone; something which turned Emma’s stomach slightly too and she had had the misfortune to experience it.

“And…”, Regina asked questioningly, bringing Emma back to the matter at hand.

“Then, he stalked me on my way to work, which obviously made me more angry. But then he said something that made me consider humouring him, so I did. I spoke to him after work and he showed me the picture of Henry and I here last year, which confused the hell out of me and then he started talking about my superpower. He asked me to use it on him, and I could tell he wasn’t lying, so I drank the potion and bam, memories.” Emma smiled at Regina, emphasising he final sentence with a childish splay of her fingers.

“What did he say which made you change your mind? It must have been something pretty profound even for the pirate?” The other woman asked, glancing down at her son who was almost finished with his meal now. Having him back next to her was like everything she had ever dreamed of.

“Ummm, uhhh,” Emma choked. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell Regina that it had been the woman herself that had changed her mind, it was that she didn’t particularly want to tell the brunette about the dream she had had. She thought it might come off a bit creepy. _Oh hey I had a subconscious dream about you and felt so attached to you even though I didn’t know who you were that I was convinced by a strange pirate man into drinking a weird blue potion. No,_ Emma speculated, _I won’t be telling her that anytime soon._ “It was nothing really, just something that jogged my memory I guess,” she covered, badly.

Regina looked suspicious, but decided not to push it.

“Anyway”, Emma continued, “we’ve heard a few things about what happened to everyone here, but I’d rather hear it from you. How did you guys even get back?”

“Well, that’s under speculation at the moment. We have a town meeting in”, she checked her watch, “fifteen minutes, where we will be discussing events. No one has any memory of the year, all we know is that another curse was cast. And not by me this time,” she pointed out proudly, “and we don’t know who did it, or what his or her motives are. Hopefully we shall be able to make some progress in this meeting. And afterwards,” she turned to Henry now, “young man, we are going to get ice cream and you must tell me everything about New York, okay?”

“Definitely,” he replied happily, resting his head on his mother’s shoulder for a strange sideways hug before they all got up and headed to the Mercedes.

* * *

 

Emma, Henry and Regina all arrived at the town hall together. It was only when they were entering that Emma realised that she hadn’t yet seen her mother or father and that there would likely be some hugging and a large amount of crying on Snow’s part. 

As they walked through the lobby Regina’s heels clacked on the polished floor, her signature sound, and yet another thing which Emma didn’t want to admit she had missed. A low rumble of voices could be heard as they approached the meeting room, Emma’s arm around Henry’s shoulders and Regina’s hand tucked tightly into his, like she never wanted to let him go again.

The shrill sound of her mother’s voice accosted Emma’s ears before they’d even reached the room, as she and David were standing outside in the long corridor.

“Emma! Henry!” Snow screamed, in true Snow fashion. She ran towards them, Regina stepping out of the way just in time before she pulled her daughter and grandson into her arms.

“You’re back!” she said, her face pressed somewhere between Emma’s shoulder and Henry’s head.

“Yup”, Emma said, pulling back from the hug to look across at her father, a huge smile breaking out on her face, “we’re back!” Emma and Henry both hugged Charming, whose excitement at their return had been drowned out by his wife’s overzealous approach.

As her mother pulled away Emma felt as brush against her stomach and looked down. It was now that she noticed for the first time that her mother was pregnant. Emma unintentionally stretched out her arm and laid a hand on her mother’s protruding stomach.

“You guys…?” Emma said, looking up at Snow and Charming with bright eyes and a smile stretching across her lips. Before the blonde could finish her mother interrupted.

“Yes,” Snow announced with a smile to her daughter, “I hope that’s not too weird for you…I can see why it would be… but...”

“No of course not, its fine, great even. Everything’s weird around here, weird is good. It has been completely unweird where we’ve been and…its good to be home,” Emma interrupted, looking down at her son and giving him a cheeky smile.

Before Emma realised what was happening Snow was yanking Regina into an embrace. She almost laughed out loud, because the situation really was weird, it was bizarre, and because Regina’s face at that moment was a picture. She looked like she didn’t know whether to teleport the hell out of there or summon her fireball or just accept it but before she had the chance to do any of those things Snow was pulling away and clasping her shoulders in those small bird-like hands.

“Regina,” Snow began sincerely, making eye contact with the former Queen as she continued, “I just want to say thank you, because its entirely your doing that Emma and Henry are safe and alive and _here_ ”, she emphasised, “so thank you Regina, really.”

Regina wasn’t entirely sure what to say in response. Mostly she was stunned, no one, well, no one other than Emma, had ever validated anything she’d done, or told her she had done a good job at anything, so instead of giving her former enemy phoney gratitude she told her the truth.

“It means a lot that you would say that Snow, but truly, I kept them safe and alive and brought them back here just as much for me as for anyone else”, she said, looking across at Emma and Henry. “Plus I don’t even remember doing it. However, as much as I hate to admit it, we really owe their return to the pirate. He did all the work, I just formulated the plan… apparently.”

“I guess I shall have to thank Killian too then”, said Snow, “maybe we could invite him round for dinner as a thank you?” she said, winking at Emma.

“Ew, Mom, stop, that’s never happening. Ever.” Emma said.

Snow raised her eyebrows suggestively at her daughter, “if you say so.”

“Anyway,” Regina said, drawing the attention away from Snow’s attempt to match make her daughter yet again, and on to the matter at hand, “do we or do we not have a curse caster to catch?”

“Why yes, I believe we do,” David replied, wanting to get out of the conversation that was steering towards his little girl’s love life. She might not be his little girl now, nor have ever been, but it was still strange to think of her with any man, especially Hook.

“Lets catch this bitch,” Emma stated matter-of-factly, not without a glare from Regina.

“It’s okay Mom”, he said to his brunette mother, “I’ve been living with her for a year, I know that word already. 

“Miss Swan,” she said looking pointedly at Emma, but with a smile broaching her features, “I do hope you haven’t been teaching our son profanities again.”


	6. The Two Who Mean The Most

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:   
> Hey Guys!  
> Another update for you! I’m in the middle of exams at the moment and they’re crushing my soul and destroying my sanity so apologies in advance for any grammatical errors or atrocious spellings I missed! All I can think about is Philosophy…it’s taking over. I hope you enjoy this chapter; it’s another short one so apologies for that as well. Thank you to those of you that continue to review every chapter, you make my day. 
> 
> Happy reading, enjoy!  
> Rosie xx
> 
> (I do not own Once Upon A Time or any of its characters. No copyright intended)

The sun was shining through the trees, reflecting off of the water’s surface. Birds fluttered in the canopy of trees above the pair. This was one of Regina's favourite places in Storybrooke that she had created and she had always enjoyed coming down here to get away from everything that had plagued her, all the emotions that she had had to deal with over the last 30 years. Time may have been frozen, but for Regina it hadn’t been and she had spent an inordinate amount of time before Henry alone with her thoughts; occupied constantly with…she wouldn’t say guilt…but with a cacophony of destructive thoughts about everything she had gone through in her life. This was her safe place. She had started bringing Henry here when he was a child, to spend quality time with him away from all the stress and suffocation that being the mayor of a cursed town brought upon her. She had always enjoyed being in nature, though especially when she had the galloping hooves of a horse underneath her. 

Regina and Henry walked along in silence, mostly because Henry was too focused on his ice cream to talk much. The brunette couldn’t help but think that even though Henry had grown up this past year he was still the same Henry that she had loved his entire life.  They walked slowly towards the bench, which sat directly in front of the pond, and sat down as Henry was just about finished with his ice cream. 

Once they began talking they couldn’t stop. They talked about everything that had happened in the last year. Henry took up his usual role of chief storyteller. He told her tales of the apartment that he and Emma lived in, he told her about his friends, his favourite places to eat and what he did on weekends. He informed her about school and she was glad to hear that Emma hadn’t been lax in that department, but then the parenting skills she had given Emma when destroying the curse hadn’t left much room for failure on that part.

The stories Regina enjoyed the most, however, were stories about his other mother. He told her of amusing times they had had and funny things that his mother had done. He retold one particularly amusing story of Emma’s attempt to made homemade pancakes, which ended up with two firefighters, 4 neighbours and the building manager in their apartment, much to the blonde’s embarrassment. From that day on, Henry confessed, still giggling from the recollection of the story, she had used shop-bought mix. Regina laughed out loud at Emma’s unbelievable failure and made a mental note to teach Emma how to make proper pancakes one day. The brunette was so unbelievably glad that that they had been happy, because she had used that thought to reassure herself for the 370 days that they had been apart. The thought that they were happy, and that she had given them a good life, because that was really all that mattered, even if her life ad been filled with misery for the rest of eternity. 

Henry did give Regina a chance to tell her stories too, and once they started talking about that they were off again. Henry wanted to know everything about Fairytale Land, forgetting that she didn’t remember any of it. But she began telling him stories about things that had happened there before the curse. Not the bad things, of course, but the good things. He asked about the curse as well, and Regina told him what she knew, because he was old enough now not to be lied to and really for his own safety he needed to know what they were up against, so he could be on the lookout. Regina did not plan on Neverland happening again, ever. But she let herself forget about that now, because it wasn’t the time. She was with her son, and she had been dreaming about this for what felt like forever, so she drank it all in and just appreciated being with him in that moment.

* * *

 

The town meeting had been stressful and frustrating. No one even had the faintest idea who they were looking for, or what they were up against so it was decided that they would search Storybrooke and watch out for any suspicious behaviour. There had been the obligatory blaming of Regina, from Grumpy especially, but Emma put that to rest rather quickly by saying that there would be absolutely no accusing Regina of anything, and that as the saviour she wouldn’t tolerate it from anyone. Regina was innocent this time, she had voiced, much to everyone’s shock.

Mr. Gold was present but unusually quiet and spent the duration of the meeting sat at the rear end of the hall with Belle, Emma had noticed. He was asked his opinion during the discussion and simply replied that he was remaining unaligned. This didn’t go down well with almost everyone, but they also knew that there was nothing they could do to force him to obey them, he was the Dark One after all. They all simply hoped that he wasn’t secretly fighting for the other side. Neal was sat as far away as humanly possible from Gold and as close as possible to Emma, something which didn’t go unnoticed by the blonde. She wondered if her mother had a hand in that particular occurrence, as it was unlikely that her mother would ever stop trying to reunite her with her “true love”, or any man for that matter.

Snow and Charming justly assumed that whoever it was would at some point make a move on the town hall to try and gather information. Regina also suspected that the person in question was after her, mainly because she was the former Queen and if anyone had done something to warrant cursing then it would almost definitely have been her. There was talk of Jafar’s involvement, or the return of Maleficent, but neither had been seen so far which likely meant that they hadn’t been cursed back.

Everyone one had been paired up in the hunt for the witch or wizard that had cast the curse; Snow with Charming, Red with Belle, Blue with Granny and Emma with Regina. Both women masked their actual happiness at being together and pretended to be ambivalent about the whole thing. Little did they know that they were both secretly pleased to be forced to spend time together. Their first task was to try and see if they replicate the memory potion that had restored Emma and Henry’s memories.

That is how the two women found themselves walking into the mayor’s office, having just left the town meeting. Luckily, Emma had the bottles on her person, so they were able to get started right away. The blonde took in the desk in front of her that was covered in technical looking science equipment and some magical looking things too. There was a big, old, worn book sitting on the edge of the oak desk. It was obviously from Fairytale Land and Emma reckoned it to look at least 500 years old. She turned and sat down in the chair at Regina’s desk and reached into her pocket to pull out the vials, which she placed gently on the table.

It was obvious that Regina had been trying to create this potion since she had returned five days previously, and she picked up right where she left off. With a well-practiced flick of her hand the water in several tubes began bubbling, and several seconds later a clear liquid began dribbling down slowly into a flask beneath. Emma watched intently as Regina ground something in a pestle and mortar.

“You’ve been trying to make this already then I guess?” Emma asked politely. She often didn’t know how to act around her son’s other mother when they were alone. The woman was always so polite to her but today she had said some things which had made Emma believe that they really were friends.

“Yes,” Regina answered, a hint of sadness pushing through behind her mask. “As soon as we arrived here and realised that no one remembered anything I set straight to work attempting to make a memory potion. But so far I haven’t been successful. I have limited ingredients, some aren’t in the quantities I need. 

Emma leant her elbows on the desk, her head resting on her hands. She leant forward to get closer to what Regina was doing and looked up at the brunette.

“You can do this,” Emma encouraged, “You were the evil fucking queen for christ’s sake, you can make a memory potion. It like child’s play.” Emma smiled up at her and for a second Regina couldn’t tear her eyes away from the grinning face in front of her. Gods, she had wanted to see it for so long and now it was finally here she didn’t know what to do other than stare aimlessly.

Regina picked up the test tube containing the grey powder, and then picked up the glass flask containing the liquid. She poured one into the other and swirled it around with a small delicate mental spoon.

“Did it work?” Emma asked preemptively, almost childish in her excitement.

“There’s only one way to find out”, Regina replied looking directly at the blonde. She raised the container to her lips and drank it all in one graceful shot. Emma’s mind wandered for a second and debated what Regina would look like taking a shot of tequila…now that was something she wanted to see.

Regina looked up at the far side of the room, but her eyes seemed like they were looking at something else.

“Do you remember?”

The brunette’s features suddenly constricted into a frown. Without warning Regina launched the flask across the room where it smashed violently against the wall. Shards of glass littered the floor around the doorframe. 

Emma flinched away, cringing her eyes closed. “Either that wall did something really bad to you in the last year or it didn’t work…” She smoothed the hair behind her ear and sat up straight again, leaning her arms back on the desk in front of her.

“I thought I had it right this time,” Regina stated angrily as she turned around, looking at the table in front of her. Suddenly, her eyes sparkled and she looked across the table to Emma, seeing the vials in front of her.

“Could you please pass me those bottles?” she asked, reaching over the kit to grab them out of Emma’s hand.

“Have you had an idea? Please tell me you’ve had an idea…because I’m kind of bored. I never was very good at science,” Emma laughed. 

“Maybe.” The brunette said warily, “I think that maybe if I can get anything out of these bottles, I can perform a replication spell on it to make more. It’s quite advanced and something which I have only done a few times but it could work.”

“Then lets do it. Maybe then we can start waking some people up and finding out who the hell cast this curse. I’m really getting sick of curses,” Emma said with distain.

“Well that the price of being the Saviour dear,” Regina said mockingly, her mouth rose in just the tiniest hint of a smile. “Thank you.”

Emma looked up at Regina sincerely, “for what?”

“You saw how quick some people in this town were to blame me, but you believe I didn’t cast the curse. So thank you, for sticking up for me. I know we’ve mostly been…” she searched for the right word, eyes locking with Emma’s as she considered he words carefully, “opposed, to each other. So I appreciate that must have been hard for you.”

“No,” Emma replied quickly, shocking Regina. “It wasn’t hard for me, I know you didn’t cast that curse. My superpower might not always be flawless but for some reason I always know when you’re lying Regina.”

Regina was at a loss for words. She stared at Emma for several long seconds just trying to process what the blonde had said to her. _Emma believes me. No one ever believes me._ Emma’s confession meant more to Regina that she ever thought she would be able to put into words, especially considering that the former sheriff had advocated for her on more than one occasion now.

For probably the first time since she was a child being berated by her mother, Regina stuttered, “I…I don’t know what to say Emma,” she replied to the woman sitting across the table from her.

“You don’t have to say anything. I just feel like its time we were on the same side”, Emma replied. The blonde’s mind drifted back to the dream she’d had last year, the one with Regina in, before she even knew who Regina was. Even then she’d felt a connection to her, and when the brunette had told her to tell Henry she loved him, Emma had known that she wasn’t lying. But they couldn’t talk about this now, and maybe not ever, because as far as the blonde was aware her son’s other mother had no recollection of this dream. 

The brunette looked at her son’s other mother somewhat nervously, “If you wanted to, you and Henry are welcome to stay with me at the mansion. The apartment must be rather small, especially with the baby on the way, and I have ample room. You don’t have to give me an answer right now, but the offer is there if you so wish to accept.”

Emma had intended to graciously decline the offer, to tell Regina that she was looking for a place for them and thank her for the suggestion, but instead what came out of her mouth without a moment’s hesitation was the complete opposite.

“Yes, I mean, if that’s okay, I know Henry would love to spend more time with you but I wouldn’t want to get in the way. I’m already looking for a place for us so it wouldn’t be for very long,” Emma answered.

“You wont get in the way at all, it would be my pleasure.”


	7. Witch Bitch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> Hey guys!  
> Apologies for the late update, I finished exams on Wednesday and went to visit a friend in Germany for the weekend which was awesome but meant that I was without a laptop for 5 days!! So I hope you enjoy this chapter, this is where I pretty much start ignoring everything that the idiots have written. There’s some cute moments in here that I think ya’ll might like. I’ll try and update again at the weekend.  
> Thanks as always for the reads, follows and favs, it means a lot!  
> Enjoy!  
> Rosie xx
> 
> (I do not own Once or any of it's characters, no copyright intended)

“So,” Regina drawled in a purposely bored tone, glancing up at Emma whose head was propped up by her hand, “we just sit here and what? Wait?” she asked sarcastically.

Emma looked back at her with eyebrows raised, “Yup, until whoever cast the curse makes a move on your office,” she said levelheadedly. The two women were now camped outside the Town Hall in Emma’s yellow bug, watching intently for any movement within. They set up a trap for the perpetrator, leaving what looked like memory potion bottles inside so that whoever broke in would think they had sabotaged their mission regain their memories. In reality all the ingredients had been transported to Regina’s vault and sealed away behind a blood charm so that no one would be able to get to them.

Regina clearly didn’t have the patience for this kind of endeavour. She gazed at Emma who was gazing out of the window. Following Emma’s eye line she could see that the blonde appeared to be looking at an extraordinarily interesting shrub. The former Queen attempted to rein in her snarky comments, but boredom brought it out of her.

“So this is really what you do for a living?” she smirked, her face not hidden back behind her mask when Emma looked her way. The Saviour, however, looked at her with that very Emma Swan-ish face of hers and simply agreed.

“Uh-huh, it’s called a stake out.” She said looking back over at the shrub with a docile grin on her features. It was almost as if she was purposely ignoring Regina’s attempts to rile her up.

“And you don’t get…bored?” Regina answered, rolling her eyes in her signature fashion.

Emma replied quickly, looking back at Regina and picking up her Granny’s takeaway coffee cup, “well yeah but there’s things to do. Eat, talk, watch, which is what we should be doing now…” she said as she reverted her gaze to the building in front of them.

There was silence between the two for a few minutes until Emma noticed that Regina was fidgeting, something that she assumed was from the boredom but was still exceedingly uncharacteristic for the Mayor. She looked at her questioningly.

“Henry, he really was happy in New York?” Regina asked, attempting to hide her feelings by paying attention to the road in front of them.

“Yeah, we both were”, Emma answered truthfully. She didn’t want to make Regina sad, or mad, or whatever. But they had been; they hadn’t known any different at the time.

“He had friends? I mean he told me about a few of them, but I just want to make sure you really did have a good life,” The former Queen continued.

Emma laughed then, “Yes Regina, he had friends, lots of friends. No girlfriends yet though, that I know of”, she smiled.

For both women the thought of their little boy having a girlfriend was strange and something they didn’t think they were quite ready for yet.

“And our life was great, really great. I almost didn’t come back because of that. But in the end I had to, and Henry wanted to of course. He may have had friends there but they never would have compared to the family he has here. And that goes for both of us.” Emma looked up at Regina then, really looked at her.

The brunette saw the tiny flecks of yellow in Emma otherwise emerald pools, reflected in the streetlamp above. That one look conveyed everything they needed to say to each other for now; that Emma had brought Henry back here for Regina, so that she could have her son back and he could be near his family. That was all Regina needed to know at this moment in time.

After a few moments of staring at each other Emma was the first to break eye contact. 

“You know, I really did consider not coming back, but then something Henry said to me immediately changed my mind.” Emma’s eyes glazed over, and Regina had to prompt her to continue speaking.

“What did he say?” she said, smiling straight ahead.

“He said a hero would come back.” Emma answered, returning Regina’s smile.

“That certainly sounds like something he would say.” The sentiment made Regina happy, which was strange for her. But it made her realise how well she had taught her son. He was every bit as brave, selfless and all-round wonderful as she had hoped he would be.

Emma moved her eyes away from Regina and up to the window of the Town Hall. It took her eyes a second to adjust but when they did she realised that there was a shadow in the window, someone moving.

“Look!” Emma said pointing upwards, “we’ve got them!”

The two women launched themselves out of the car immediately, Regina somewhat more gracefully than Emma who almost tripped over her own feet in the hurry. They ran towards the Town Hall, Emma in front with her gun aimed and ready, torch shining to lead the way in front of them.

Quietly, they made their way through the maze of corridors and upstairs, to Regina’s office. All the time no more than several inches away from each other. Regina pressed close behind Emma in an effort to get to their destination faster.

“So who ever is in there is trapped?” Emma whispered as they walked up to the door, “They can’t get out?”

“No, I sealed the room with blood-magic, trust me, I know what I’m doing.” The blonde didn’t even need to look at her partner’s face to know that there was a raised eyebrow pairing that comment.

The brunette waived her leather-gloved hand over the lock and there was a small glimmer of purple across the surface of the metal. Emma raised her hand and motioned for Regina to go in behind her, after all, she was the one with the weapon. The two women stepped carefully into the room their senses heightened and hairs on edge. Regina shone her torch around the room, taking in al the broken equipment, smashed vials and flasks littering the floor.

“Over there!” Emma yelled, aiming her gun at the hooded figure in the corner of Regina’s now trashed office. But before either woman could do anything, the intruder disappeared in a sea of green smoke.

“I thought you said…” Emma began to ask as both women lowered their weapons and flashlights. Emma clicked on the office light.

“I know what I said,” Regina looked utterly perplexed, “No one can break through blood magic, no matter how powerful. Not even Rumple… Unless…”

“Unless what?” Emma prompted her.

“Unless they are of blood relation,” the brunette said solemnly. Emma watched as she walked over to where the sorcerer had disappeared. She stopped, and breathed in deeply two times. It wasn’t the time to ask now, but Emma suspected that Regina could smell the magic and therefore the person who cast it…or something like that. She remembered the scent of magic in the mines that night when they had combined their magic to try and stop the trigger. Emma could still feel crackling of the magic in her hands and in the air around her. So she supposed that it made sense for more advanced practitioners of magic to be able to feel a person from their magic. The more Emma got acquainted with magic the more she felt attracted to it, and at some point she planned to ask Regina to teach her, when they had a spare minute that wasn’t filled with trying to save everyone, again.

Regina turned around, “I think she’s female, the magic is very dark but it isn’t from a man. She’s powerful. 

“But your mother is dead,” Emma said, looking up at Regina for definite confirmation. She received a nod in return. “Then who the hell are we dealing with…”

 

* * *

 

 Emma’s bug drove along Mifflin Street, the engine of the car the only sound on the silent road. The town was eerily quiet and Emma knew that it was because everyone was too afraid to leave their homes. She slid her hand along the steering wheel to turn the car in towards the pavement, then killed the engine and paused for several seconds. Regina thought that the other woman was going to say something, but instead she turned towards the door and slid out of the car onto the sidewalk. The brunette followed suit and they walked in silence together along the path, the vast white walls of the house looming ahead of them.

Emma noticed that there was a light on in the living room and extended her arm behind her to stop Regina from coming any closer.

“There’s someone in the house Regina,” Emma loud-whispered.

“I know dear, I can see that. Lets go and find out who it is shall we?”, she moved Emma aside and marched towards the house. “Whoever this is is related to me. Now its personal,” she snarled.

Emma could see the smirk on Regina’s face even though her back was turned. It was the Evil Queen smirk. Terrifying. Secretly though, Emma found it kind of sexy.

Regina breezed up the stone steps and swiftly unlocked the door with Emma now following closely on her heels. The blonde, who then turned around to find the brunette halfway across the lobby, shut the door quietly. She crept quickly across and when her foot caused the floorboard to creak she earned a stern look from her companion. They stood either side of the door, Regina’s hand poised to turn the ornate gold handle under her fingers. She looked briefly up at Emma, who nodded that she was ready. The door opened forcefully, and the pair looked frantically around the room, and saw that it was not their enemy they were facing, sitting comfortably on the sofa reading, but their son.

“Kid what are you doing here?” Emma asked her son worriedly. “Are you here on your own?”

The only thing that Regina could think was that he had come here by himself. He had been outside, wandering the streets and anything could have happened to him. If whoever cast this curse had a vendetta against Regina, then she was sure they would do anything to get hold of Henry, and she wasn’t letting that happen ever again.

“Ma, Mom, I’m sorry, I just…uhhh… couldn’t stay at Grandma and Grandpa’s,” he sad looking shifty, and slightly embarrassed.

“What happened Henry,” Regina asked, her face an unsettling mix of concern and anger. “What in the world prompted you to walk here alone when there’s a Witch hiding somewhere in this town. You know better than that,” she scolded.

Henry looked up apprehensively. Sometimes he hated having two Moms, because when you did something bad it was _double_ as bad. “I know I do, and I promise, I do, but…” Henry trailed off.

“Henry Mills tell me what is going on this instant,” his brunette mother said with finality, moving slightly closer to him to enforce her presence further.

The young boy threw his hands up in the air and looked at Emma, he seemed to embarrassed to say whatever it was he had to say whilst maintaining eye contact with Regina.

“They …were…. uhh… theywerehavingsex,” he said, expelling the words out all in one breath.

Emma’s hand didn’t reach her mouth in time and to Regina's vexation a snort and muffled laughter came from her son’s ever so immature mother.

“Emma Swan I will not tolerate laughing at a time like this,” her face even more irate than it had been before Henry let out his confession.

“I’m sorry!” Emma said defensively, to gathering herself back together and focusing on the fact that what her son did was really dangerous. “But that is literally the only excuse I would have accepted from him,” she said looking at Regina, then turning to Henry. “There could have been an earthquake or a fire or a murder and I would have yelled at you for coming back here alone but you know what Kid, I don’t even blame you.” She was still having trouble reigning in the smirk on her face, which now matched the one on their son’s face.

Regina looked at her in anguish for several seconds before allowing the smallest of smiles to grace her gorgeous features. She looked pointedly at her son. 

“I’ll be very disappointed if this happens again Henry. And you’re taking the trash out for a week.” The former Queen had decided to let it go this time.  She span on her heels and strutted towards the kitchen. “Anyone want cocoa?” she asked innocently.

“I don’t even live here!” Henry said loudly back to her.

“Yes you do!” Regina’s sing-song tone drifted in through the open door from the kitchen across the hall.

“What?” Henry asked, staring up at Emma with bright eyes.

“We’re gonna stay here for a while Henry, give David and Snow some space,” she said, her face breaking out into a cheeky grin again. Henry chuckled along with her and she slapped him playfully on the head. “Lets go kid or we’re gonna make your Mom even more mad,” she laughed.

* * *

 

Emma ran her hands across the deep purple velvet of the luxurious couch while she sat awkwardly in Regina’s study waiting for her to put Henry to bed. They had eaten a beautiful lasagna, made by the Queen herself, with apple pie for dessert. It was Henry’s favourite meal, and it was beginning to become Emma’s too. The blonde had busied herself with washing up the dishes and when Regina still hadn’t returned she went into the study and lit a fire in the huge stone hearth. It wasn’t cold, but she lit it anyway. She had never had a fireplace anywhere she had lived as a child and she thought it made the house feel homey.

The blonde rose to her feet, brushed her hands down her legs to smooth out her jeans and wiggled her socked feet against the plush rug underneath them. There was a picture of Henry and Regina on one of the shelves holding Regina’s many books that had caught her attention and Emma wandered aimlessly over to get a closer look. They were by Henry’s castle; it looked to be the first day it had opened, as Henry could be seen holding a huge blue ribbon. He was much younger and Emma could see the grin stretching across his little face, almost mirrored in size by the one on his mother opposite him. Neither was looking at the camera and it was better that way, Emma could really see the happiness on both their faces even though they didn’t know the photograph was being taken.

The blonde, lost in her own world, was oblivious to Regina quietly entering the room.

“Snooping are we Miss Swan?”, Emma heard behind her. For the second time in as many hours she could see the smirk on the brunette’s face.

“No,” Emma replied, turning around quickly, “Sorry, I was just looking at this picture of you and Henry. Its beautiful. 

Between the way Emma was smiling at her and the way her eyes were glistening in the low light, Regina struggled to formulate an answer to the simple statement the blonde had aired.

“Thank you,” she replied whilst moving further into the room and toward the drinks cabinet. “It was a wonderful day, he was so happy then,” the words said nostalgically.

Looking up at Emma she continued, “Would you care for a drink? A glass of Cider?”

“After the day we’ve had I think I might be in need of something stronger…”

“Will Whiskey suffice?” Regina asked with eyebrows raised.

Emma replied with a laugh, “Yeah, I think so.”

The former Queen retrieved the two drinks; both double Whiskeys on the rocks, and brought them over to the sofa where Emma was now sitting comfortably with her feet tucked underneath her. Elegantly as ever, Regina placed the drinks carefully on the table and slipped off her lacquered black stilettos. She then mimicked the blonde’s position on the couch but at the opposite end. They took the first few sips of their drinks in silence, both pairs of eyes trained on the fire in front of them.

Emma glanced over at Regina. It was peculiar to see her son’s other mother in such a relaxed environment. There was something about seeing the “Evil Queen” barefoot in tights which took the fear out of her name. Emma laughed almost silently to herself at the absurdity of everything in her life right now, but the woman across from her noticed all the same.

“Something funny Miss Swan?” Regina asked brusquely, but underneath Emma could tell that she had to try harder than usual to keep up her façade.

“No, no, nothing,” Emma said gaining another look from Regina. “Really, its just… I’m back in Storybrooke and nothing had changed. Only everything has changed. Its been a year, there’s another Villain to defeat, Henry’s grown up, my parents are having another baby, you’ve changed, yet it still feels exactly the same.”

Regina looked at her, puzzled, “I know…” she paused again, “I’m not explaining this very well…” Emma looked embarrassed.

“No,” Regina said looking at Emma sincerely this time. She shuffled her foot underneath her and picked up her glass before continuing, “I understand. Remember, I lived the same day in this town for thirty years. And I understand that you feel like you’re stuck here.” Regina looked as if she wanted to say something else but she didn’t. Emma contemplated asking her but she didn’t know if it would just make things awkward. She sipped her drink again, and then took the remaining liquid in one gulp.

There was silence for several minutes. Emma was entirely sure that Regina was a pyromaniac, not only because of her proficiency at fireballs, but also because of the way her eyes locked onto the fire like they were mesmerised. It was like she was watching something happen within the flames.

“I’ve changed?” Regina asked nervously out of nowhere. Emma still didn’t think it was what she had intended to say, but she went along with it anyway.

“Yeah…” Emma hesitated. Had Regina changed? Or was it because the only memory Emma had had of Regina for the last year had been the woman she saw in her dream? _She has changed,_ thought Emma. _She has. She’s not evil anymore, not that I ever thought she was, really._ “You…uhh…”, Emma smiled up at Regina while she moved her legs from under her and stretched them out across the couch, resting with her knees up and her back leaning on the arm of the sofa.  She was graced with the woman’s best ‘spit it out’ look.

“You’re not the Evil Queen anymore. Well for me you never really were. But other people are starting to see it too, ever since Neverland really, but especially since the day where Henry and I left. You’re a good person Regina. You sacrificed your happiness for me and Henry, and even though we got back here in the end I’ll be thankful for that forever.” Emma looked down at her glass, noticing it was empty and grabbed Regina’s from the table to go and refill them both. By the time she returned, Regina still hadn’t said anything.

Emma returned the tumbler to the coaster in front of Regina and sat back down in her spot. She turned to the other woman and immediately noticed the liquid glistening along with the roaring flames in her eyes.

“Are you okay Regina…” the blonde asked timidly.

The woman jumped at the unexpected voice, as if she had been in another world entirely. Her hand rose to her face to brush away a stray bead of water before it had a chance to trickle down her face. “Yes, I’m fine, I’m sorry,” she replied finally, bringing herself back to the room. “I… thank you…” Regina started, but she didn’t know how to continue. There were a million things that she wanted to say to Emma, but none of them could be voiced, because they revealed too many things which Regina wasn’t ready to talk about yet. _Why are you being so nice to me_ was one of them, _No one has said anything this nice to me since Daniel,_ was another. Other thoughts going through her head considered telling Emma about how she felt the day they’d driven away in the bug, or what she’d seen in the vision and why she had resurfaced with Emma’s name on her lips.

“I appreciate you saying so,” she said sniffing delicately. “I don’t feel like the Evil Queen anymore. I just… may I ask you something?” Her voice was soft but firm, her eyes boring into Emma’s earnestly.

“Sure,” Emma replied, shifting her legs minutely closer to Regina on the large sofa.

“You said earlier that you feel trapped here…” she started. If Emma hadn’t known any better, she would have said that Regina looked shamed by whatever she was about to say.

“…I don’t ask people for things very often Miss Swan-“

“Emma. Enough of the Miss Swan crap please Regina,” the blonde interrupted mischievously.

“Fine. I don’t ask people for things very often _Emma,_ ” she said, emphasising the name as she raised her eyebrows in the exact same way Emma saw Henry do everyday. “But I would like you to promise. Or…assure me, at least, that you will not be returning to New York with Henry. I cannot be separated from him again. 

As much as Emma was enjoying the brunette having to ask her for help, the mask on Regina’s face dampened the sense of achievement. It may have looked like she was asking indifferently, but in reality Emma knew that underneath that poised exterior was a woman about to break down. She liked to think she had got pretty good at reading people over the years. By learning how to read people and read how they’re feeling Emma had learnt how to save herself from many nasty situations. If you knew how someone felt then you knew how to approach them. Regina was humiliated at even having to ask Emma this and Emma could see that hidden deeply away was a woman who was terrified beyond belief of losing her son again.

“You know what,” Emma began, Regina’s eyes trained on her apprehensively, “at first I was only planning on coming back here to make sure everyone was okay, and then we were going to go back to New York for good. But I can’t do that Regina. This is his home. His home is with you _and_ me. And there is no way that I would do that to you. I would never take him away from you again,” her eyes tried to convince the brunette that she was telling the truth, “I promise you. We’re not going anywhere.”


	8. The Man She Could Have Loved

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Hey guys! It's that time again! Apologies in advance for the lack of SQ in this chapter. I mean there's some, of course, but not as much as I know I would like if I was reading…BUT this chapter contains some crucial things to the storyline so it's pretty necessary for moving things along. Again in this chapter I've been baring in mind the TV storyline while mixing things up a bit, my favourite thing to do! I'm super super grateful to all of you who read, review and favourite! So happy reading, enjoy.
> 
> Rosie xx
> 
> (I do not own and characters from OUAT. No copyright intended).

Since Regina and Emma's encounter with whoever cast the curse, there had been a town-wide search going on everyday. They knew it was someone who could break through the blood-magic, but other than that they still really didn't know who they were up against. As far as Regina had been told her whole life she was an only child, she didn't have any aunts or uncles or extended family to speak of, they were all dead, but then again, nothing that Cora ever said could be taken as truth. With the missing year, and this conundrum bouncing around in her brain the brunette couldn't pinpoint what she knew and what she didn't anymore.

The mayor heard the clock quietly ticking away in the background as she worked at her desk in the study, for some reason constantly conscious of the speed at which time was progressing today. Last night had been…Interesting. Regina had opened herself up to Emma more than she had to anyone in a very long time. She had allowed Emma to get a small peek into her psyche. To allow someone to see her vulnerability, to understand the things that kept her up in fear at night and truly know what was going on inside her head was the most ultimately terrifying concept to the brunette. More terrifying than almost anything; the only thing which scared her more than opening herself up to someone emotionally was losing her one and only light in the world, Henry. That was more than she would ever be able to take. She had come so close so many times, but if she really did lose him, she would not be able to go on. This was one of the things that she couldn't admit to anyone. This and many, many more. There was a part of Regina which realised she had started something last night when she asked the blonde to promise that she and Henry wouldn't be separated again. She vowed that from now on she wouldn't discuss her feelings with Emma, the blonde didn't need to know any it only made her appear weak. Opening this door would help absolutely nothing.

As her boredom mounted, Regina decided to go for a walk and see if she found anything out of the ordinary. She could have been in the office working today; but she needed felt like she might get more work done at home. She had been wrong. Leaving her paperwork mid-sentence she gathered her things and put on some sturdy hiking boots. She thought it might be a good idea to canvas a few of the outer parts of Storybrooke, places that others wouldn't think to go; she had, after all, created this town.

She had been walking through the woods when she noticed a building in the clearing ahead. She had never seen it before, which immediately raised red flags. There was an entrance to something in the field by the house, which looked as if it had stairs leading underground, however on approaching it Regina realised that it was locked. She tried magic, but nothing worked; _she must be more powerful than I thought_ , said Regina to herself.

There was a gravel path leading up to the house and the former Queen's heeled leather boots crunched on the stone beneath her feet. As she made her way closer to the house, she heard a rustling from the bushes ahead.

"Show yourself!" she yelled as a figure moved around the corner of the house.

She heard the thrum of a bow in front of her and raised her hand just in time to catch the arrow that had been shot directly at her. It had been years since she had been the target of this sort, yet her reactions were still as good that day as they had ever been.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were the Witch, I now realise I was mistaken," came the deep throaty voice from across the pathway.

The man walked towards her; he was good looking, tall, dressed in plain clothing that blended into the surroundings nicely. Strangely, she felt as if she had seen him before, but that wasn't altogether uncommon in a place this small. As their conversation continued she had an inexplicable feeling that this entire meeting had happened previously; like it had happened in the missing year.

"And you are…?" she asked, looking him up and down in a way she was prone to do when trying to intimidate someone. Her eyes narrowed as she took in his appearance. He was an attractive man but there was something about him that she didn't trust, his eyes had something hidden in them and his face would have appeared much more approachable had it not been constantly held in an unattractive grimace.

"Robin of Locksley, Robin Hood, at your service," he bowed slightly and extended his hand, which Regina promptly refused.

"Well, Robin Hood," she said with a vaguely disrespectful sneer, "come with me." She beckoned him behind her as they walked towards the house and entered slowly and quietly. Regina had her magic at the ready, bubbling at the surface of her skin and crackling around inside her veins in anticipation of attack. It appeared however, that the house was empty. Once Robin had cleared the house he returned to the small, plainly furnished dining room. Whoever this witch was, Regina could tell that they didn't have much of a proclivity for interior design. She wondered how a person related to her could ever live in a place like this as she ran her finger through a thick layer of dust on the table.

Robin walked towards the large wooden bureau that leant against the far wall of the room, rolling his sleeves up while his back was to Regina.

"Drink, Madame?" he asked, brandishing the bottle of whiskey in the brunette's direction.

"Yes, and I prefer Your Majesty, thank you very much," she said curtly. In fact, she didn't. But this man hadn't yet earnt the right to call her anything else.

"As you wish, Your Majesty," he replied whilst pouring two generous helpings into cut crystal glasses from the cabinet. He turned around, moving towards Regina who was leaning against the small table that sat in the middle of the room. He handed her one of the glasses, and as he did, she noticed the tattoo on his right forearm. She immediately looked up at Robin with confusion lining her features. This was he; the man who Tinkerbell had told her would be her soul mate. With everything else going on Regina didn't know how to process this, so she dropped her glass on the floor and walked swiftly out of the house, not even saying a word.

It was the tattoo from the tavern over 30 years ago, but what perplexed her even more was that she was sure, and she couldn't say why, that she had seen this tattoo again since that night.

* * *

 

Tyres screeched as the black Mercedes Benz pulled away from the grass verge on which the mayor had parked it, mud flying up from the wheels as the car spend along the quiet country road back into town. Her brain was directing her hands, steering this way and that, but she didn't even have to think about where she was going. She headed home to get changed out of her dirty hiking gear and into something more appropriate. Within minute she was back behind the wheel of her car speeding towards the convent. There was only one person in Storybrooke who could help her with a predicament of this sort, Tinkerbell; she had been the one who had told her about this man, after all.

The brunette slowed the car as has approached the tall concrete posts which marked the entrance to the convent's driveway. Gravel crackled under the wheels as Regina pulled the car into park and stepped out, marching purposefully to the door and locking the car nonchalantly behind her. She grasped the brass door knocker banged it against the door three times before stepping backwards. When the door opened in front of her the person on the other side was none other than Tinkerbell herself.

"Mayor Mills," Tinkerbell said, "what a lovely surprise. It has been a while," the woman continued with a smile on her face as she beckoned Regina in across the threshold. "Come in."

"Lovely isn't necessarily the term I would use," Regina answered, clearing her throat softly. Tinkerbell looked slightly taken aback by the Mayor's comment and spoke, effectively cutting Regina off.

"Are you here to see Mother Superior?" the blonde asked politely, "i'll go and fetch her."

"No dear," the brunette, grabbing the fairy's sleeve as she began to move away, "I came to speak to you."

"Oh, okay then, what was it you wanted to speak to me about?" she asked in her accented english. "It has been an awfully long time since you came to me for advice," she added jokily, but her face neutralised when she saw the look on the other woman's features.

"Where are the other fairies? May I speak freely?" Regina was worried that they would be eavesdropping. Fairies had a tendency to be nosy little blighters.

"They are all in the garden, Your Majesty," Tink answered, reverting to Regina's old world name as a sign of respect which went entirely unappreciated by the mayor.

"I am no longer a Queen," she snapped, "Regina will suffice."

"Very well, would you like to sit down and have some tea?"

"No, thank you," she said sincerely, "this will only take a minute."

"Ask away then your…Regina," Tink blushed at her mistake but the brunette was forgiving. So many people had it engrained into their minds that she was still the Evil Queen and that would never change, at least the woman corrected herself.

"I met a man today, who goes by the name of Robin Hood. Robin of Locksley I believe. He has the tattoo," Regina began and watched Tink's interest spike when she mentioned his name, and the marking. "He is not someone I have ever seen before, which means that he only came over with the curse. Do you know of him?" She watched Tink's face closely for signs but the woman seemed genuinely surprised.

Tinkerbell looked at her, shock painted on her face. "No, I haven't heard of him before, other than by reputation obviously."

However, what Regina didn't know was that in the time she had gone home, Robin had also paid Tinkerbell a visit. The two had been friends for years and years, and the fairy's allegiances would always lie with him, no matter what. She had told him about the fairy dust, and how one day a long time ago in another world magic had lead Regina to a man with a lion tattoo, Robin knew that the man could have been any of his men, but he liked to think that it was he and Tinkerbell entertained his idea. If she told Regina the truth, the real truth, the woman would undoubtedly reach a level of anger which the blonde didn't even want to think about experiencing. The information was irrelevant now anyway, or at least Tink told herself it was.

The fairy continued, "I have seen him around town and on patrols occasionally but we have never spoken. I'm sorry I can't be of more help," she said, as sweet as candy.

"Do you think it could be him?" Regina asked. "It is a distinctive tattoo after all, I am surely not mistaken about that."

"It could be," Tink answered, not wanting to speak too much on the subject lest she give herself away. "Maybe you should…pursue it." The blonde woman thought that encouraging Regina to give Robin a chance was a great thing to do. It would make her happy, give her a distraction. The two hadn't always been eye to eye but Tink liked to think that she had Regina's true interests at heart.

"Well, I don't know about that," Regina answered, more truthfully than intended. She really didn't. This man wasn't who she wanted, wasn't who she saw herself with.

"Think about it," the fairy added, reaching her hand out to brush the mayor's shoulder tenderly.

Regina looked at the clock above Tinkerbell's head in entrance hall, it was almost time to collect Henry and go home for the evening.

"Well," The brunette said turning on her heel towards the door, "thank you very much for all your help Tinkerbell, the information is appreciated. Good day."

"Goodbye Regina," Tink said politely.

There was something not quite right, Regina thought as she exited the convent, leaving a smiling Tinkerbell behind her to close the door, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She wished momentarily for Emma's lie-detection powers, they really would come in useful sometimes.

* * *

 

Regina, Emma and Charming were driving slowly along the edge of the field neighbouring the Witch's house. When through the headlights Charming saw a large row of trees in front of him he pressed the breaks, put the car in park and killed the engine. When Regina had informed them of her discovery from this morning it was decided that they should return immediately; time was of the essence in this situation after all.

Emma, who was sitting in the front seat, turned around and greeted Regina with an optimistic face.

"Let's go", she said as she turned around and unclasped the seatbelt around her midsection. They had discussed their plan on the journey, and it had been agreed that they didn't have a plan; they were just going to have to go for it. Regina did however say that if they encountered the Witch and she just poofed away again – because that was something which they could all foresee – Regina would try and follow her magical trail, since it appeared that she could use blood magic to trace her. It was something she hadn't thought of before, but on researching blood magic she found that there were other things which came with using it that went past being able to break their spells. The only people Regina would have ever used blood magic on were her mother and father, and Henry; she had had no need to use magic on her father or Henry and no courage to use it on her mother, so this was relatively new to her.

They exited the vehicle and soon they walked into the corner of the pasture, using torches to guide their way. Charming was the leader he opened the gate, putting his torch in his mouth for a minute to use both hands.

Once they were all safely through the gate they walked in a line across the large field, keeping pace with each other until they reached the outer fence. Emma ducked down first and rolled under the fence, which they could safely say was probably electrified.

Regina, almost disgusted that Emma would just roll on the ground, ducked gracefully under the wire and wisped herself back up into standing position. Charming, being significantly bigger than both women had to resort to crawling under on his hands and knees. Regina almost laughed but managed to hold it in. If it wasn't for the fact that they could have been heard she would probably have laughed a high throaty chuckle and probably been told off for it.

The trio approached the large shelter in the ground and crept further forward. Their feet squelched in the mud as they walked along the side of the house, keeping their heads just underneath the windows. Suddenly, Regina sent her hand behind her. It hit Emma's shoulder and stopped her from moving any further. There had been a noise around the other side of the house and there were movements in the shadows across reflected from the interior lighting. The Witch appeared from around the corner, and Regina was able to take in her face for the first time.

Behind her Emma heard her father unsheathe his sword and simultaneously raised her firearm to point at the threat in front of them. She watched Regina raise her arm slowly, and imagined that her face was becoming that terrifying mask that mostly consisted of Who the hell do you think you are and don't piss me off. Emma had seen that face more than a few times, it was the face she saw the first night she met Regina.

The Witch in front of them stood stock-still. They were all poised for battle and watched her face intently. A small, sly, sneering smile slowly crept onto her face as her eyebrow lifted up in challenge.

"Catch me if you can", she said in a singsong tone as she disappeared in an effervescent cloud of emerald smoke.

Immediately, Regina's presence left Emma's side and she watched as her son's other mother ran towards the spot ten feet away from them.

"Be careful Regina!" Emma cried in panic as she watched the former Queen stand still, her hands outstretched in front of her as her purple smoke mingled with the remnants of green. It crackled loudly where it merged. When the crackling was over and the smoke had dispersed, Regina was gone.

* * *

 

The brunette felt her feet firmly touch the ground as she landed in her as yet unknown location. Her own purple smoke was still surrounding her, twirling mesmerisingly in front of her eyes. Everything was moving in slow motion and the earth span inside her head. She felt the way she had the very first time she ever practiced this spell. Typically, moving from place to place was one fluid motion, she would simply picture where she wanted to go, and appear there. It felt like the magic was coursing through her veins like millions of tiny stars twinkling throughout her entire being. That was what magic felt like most of the time. But this time it was different. Using someone else's magic certainly had less than desirable effects. Instead of stars, her body was filled with countless minuscule razorblades. Briefly, the fleeting thought that the woman could have attempted to protect her magic against Regina crossed her mind, after all she didn't know how powerful a sorcerer she was facing.

All in a second Regina's mind came back to her as if her magic had finally won the fight against its counterpart over her body. The smoke cleared and permitted her to see the Sorceress in front of her, as well as finally being revealing their whereabouts.

It was cold, was the first thing the brunette noticed. It was then that she quickly absorbed the sight in front of her. The huge stone walls which should have been confining them now; but Regina knew that if her enemy had managed to get in here, she would be able to get out just as easily. They were in her vault. _Of course we are_ , thought the former Queen sarcastically, _because you want to taunt me and I have no way of keeping you out._

She met eyes with the Witch in front of her. She had another one of those "you can't beat me" looks on her face, and Regina would have been disconcerted by the fact that her face exactly mirrored that of Regina's mother when threatened, if it hadn't made her so angry. No, the Mayor hadn't verbally threatened her yet but for people like them, who had experienced true power and evil, someone using your magic to chase you is most definitely construed as an intimidation tactic.

Regina's eyes bored into the defiant, bright green eyes in front of her with her chocolate pools tinged purple with rage. Her loathing for everything this woman was and was trying to do prompted her to boil over the surface.

Storming furiously towards the woman across from her who was darkly dress in a black dress and long velvet cape, Regina exploded.

"You!" She said, pointing her finger more than accusingly.

"You are pathetic," she spat maliciously, "you have taunted and teased me, disappearing away at the first second I get a glimpse of you." Before she continued, Regina raised her hand and grasped the woman's chin with brute force, tilting her head towards her. Her victim slowly and deliberately raised her hand, no doubt summoning her magic to the surface in response.

"But you're afraid. After all this…cursing us all and playing with me, that you might not be able to defeat us. You're scared that the Evil Queen might be stronger than you after all, and you know what?" Regina asked cruelly, her eyes opening scarily wide as she glared into the face in front of her with hatred as blistering and treacherous as a thousand burning suns.

"I am."

"I am better than you, and I am stronger than you and I am altogether more formidable than you and," she emphasised, letting go of the Sorceress' face, "I have a whole lineup of people behind me. I will break you. Stop the feigned cockiness and fight me, because I assure you." She paused, "you will not win."

She didn't even realise what had come out of her mouth until her lips had stopped moving. _I told her to fight me_ , Regina berated herself silently, _I sound like Emma_. Oh god.

As the brunette's brain was freaking out, she noticed the tugs of a smile appear on her counterpart's face. The corners of her mouth titled up as her nose scrunched just minutely and she breathed in deeply. Regina dropped her outstretched hand from the woman's jawbone and raised her hand up, her fingers curling gracefully as her magic was roused to her defence.

The showdown continued, both women staring at each other with fire in their eyes.

The auburn woman's mouth opened, her cunning smile broadening as she expelled the sentence that knocked Regina for six.

"See you later…" she said, emerald vapour beginning to rise from the ground around her, her eyes glinting with malice.

"…Sis."


	9. Not An Only Child After All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> Hey guys!  
> I know I said I’d keep a regular updating schedule but that hasn’t really worked out has it? I’m going to try and update every Sunday from now on but I wouldn’t hold me to that, just in case, although Sundays seem to be a good day because i'm usually not very busy. This chapter might be a tad uninteresting (sorry in advance) but the next chapter will carry on where this left off, where our two ladies have a very interesting night in together, which i hope you'll all love. Reviews are always appreciated whether it be criticisms or otherwise! Thanks as always for the views, follows and favourites. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and have a great week ahead.  
> Happy reading,  
> Rosie xx
> 
> (I do not own Once or any of its characters, no copyright intended.)

The sound of the granite sliding behind her told Regina that the vault had been sealed. She turned around, producing another incantation with barely a move of her full lips. This one was meant to protect the entrance to her "safe" place by stopping certain spells from being used to try and force it open, not including blood magic. This time, Regina hadn't used a single ounce of blood magic, hoping that this would deter her…sister. Regina knew though that if this woman shared even half her genes, she would find a way through if it killed her.

With one final glancing look around the brunette sealed the doors to the Mausoleum and conjured one last spell - out of despair more than anything else - to try and protect her privacy and her family as well as herself. Everything that she was and everything she had been was enclosed in that vault and the thought of someone having free-reign of it made her sick to her stomach. She had, of course, removed the things she thought her sister would be especially intent on procuring; some of her older, darker spell books and their mother's heart to name a few. If she could have taken everything she would have but there were few places in the town safe from that woman and only the most important things could be hidden away.

Her walk back to the mansion was a long one. Regina called Emma to let her know that they would meet back at home. She took longer than intended, however, having taken the long route back to clear her mind.

_A sister. I have a sister. Oh, how different my life might have been if I'd found that out 40 years ago and not today._

Regina's thoughts flew about her mind like pinballs dinging about in one of those damn arcade machines; which of course she had never even dreamt of letting Henry near due to their unsanitary condition and presence inside the town's watering hole. No doubt he had experienced them in his life with Emma.

Maybe that was the solution, the Mayor thought as she wandered aimlessly around the own she knew like the back of her hand.

_Maybe Henry really would be better off without me. I always seem to bring more pain into his life. This is my fault. His life would be better without me._

Regina briefly thought of making a run for it. Getting in the Mercedes and never looking back, but then she remembered the town lines that were still in tact, which stopped her once and for all from leaving the hellhole she was currently residing in. She contemplated going to live in the woods away from the responsibilities of creating a town, which to be honest, she really didn't want to be in anymore. However, in her swirling mess of thoughts and feelings Regina had subconsciously returned to the mansion. Through the open bay windows in front of her she saw a beautiful sight. Emma, sitting on the couch with their son, tickling him to death for god knows what reason.

The first rational thought in an hour popped into Regina's head. I might bring them pain and suffering when I'm here. But would their lives really be any better without me? The brunette asked herself. Part of her messed up, delusional, damaged mind wanted to say yes. The anxious part of her brain told her that they would be better off without her, that she should leave them to their happiness, that she just ruined everything. But then the blonde, who her eyes had been locked on for several minutes now, glanced up and spied her through the window. The look of shock on Emma's face to see Regina just standing on her own front lawn, staring, was quickly surpassed by an even larger smile than she had worn on her face previously.

_Of course they wouldn't._

Seeing the mischievous pair glance out of the window at her again was all it took to convince her neurotic side to give it a rest for just one second. Sometimes Regina's thoughts got the better of her momentarily; sometimes they were debilitating and spoke such atrocities to her that she couldn't think about anything else for days. But this wasn't one of those times. She moved her legs subconsciously, smiling in Henry and Emma's direction before heading towards the front door to let herself in.

By the time she reached the huge silvery archway, wood glinting in the porch light, her son's mother was already awaiting with the door open.

"What happened?" Emma asked immediately, looking concerned. "Where did you go? Where did she take you?"

"Please allow me to step through my own front door before you start interrogating me Miss Swan, it is rather poor manners," came the icy tone from the brunette.

"Sor-", Emma began. But before she could finish even one word Regina stunned her with another admission.

"No," she interrupted, "I'm sorry," looking into Emma's eyes so briefly it didn't even seem to happen at all. "Is your father still here?"

"Yeah, he's in the living room with Henry, why?" Emma asked, even more worried now. Regina didn't avoid subjects. It wasn't her thing.

The brunette looked at Emma seriously whilst closing the door softly behind her. "I need to speak with both of you about what happened. There has been an…" Regina pondered her next words, "unforeseen complication…lets just say."

The pair walked towards the living room where Henry and his Grandfather were sitting on the couch absorbed in some bizarre looking Sci-Fi film. Both David and Henry turned around as soon as his mothers walked into the room.

"Mom!" he expelled loudly, not moving from his spot, "you're back! We were worried about you." He said, making eye contact with his blonde mother.

"What happened Regina?" Charming asked with genuine anxiety, probably for his kingdom and his wife over her, but it was still a welcomed change.

"I am indeed," Regina replied lovingly to Henry, "and you will find out soon enough" she continued, giving a quick glance to David at the same time. She stood still with her legs crossed politely. Emma was leaning against the back of the plush sofa running her hands through her son's hair. If anyone had seen the way Regina looked at the pair of them in that moment, well, lets just say, she was glad no one had. She quickly averted her eyes, walking towards her son instead, and continued, "Anyhow. I think it is your bedtime young man. I need to speak to your mother and David."

Their rascally son looked at both of them with his best puppy dog eyes.

"But Moooommm, I'm old enough to be included in these things now, you said so yourself!" He insisted, looking at his blonde mother for back up. Emma looked at Regina and raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders in Henry's defence.

"I know what I said," she replied sternly, "but there is something I need to discuss with the adults first. I promise," she said, making eye contact with him and crouching down to his level in front of the couch, "as soon as I know what is happening, you will. Okay?"

The boy affirmed his mother's request and grabbed his book as he lifted himself from his usual spot in the corner.

"Night Mom," he said as he was pulled into a quick embrace by his brunette mother. "Night Grandpa."

"Night Henry," replied David, smiling, "I'll see you for sword training tomorrow. I'll pick you up at 7."

The young teenager moved himself around the side of the couch and towards the huge double doors leading to the atrium. As he flitted past her Emma ruffled his hair once more. "Night Ma!" he said finally, looking back at her as her left the room.

"Goodnight Henry", "Goodnight Kid," came his mothers' reply in unison. They made brief, fleeting eye contact before they settled down to business.

Regina took a seat in her favourite armchair whilst the Saviour took Henry's place next to her father. The brunette woman was on edge; legs crossed politely, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"So fill us in," Emma said, awaiting Regina's instigation.

"Well," Regina began, not really knowing how to continue, "we transported to my vault."

"Your vault?!" Emma asked, shocked, "but I thought no one but you could teleport – or whatever it is you do – into there?"

Regina looked exasperated; even more than usual, Emma noticed. "Miss Swan, if you would allow me to finish?" She said, raising her eyebrows and waiting for her son's mother's consent.

Emma merely looked at her apprehensively, which was enough sign for the brunette that she wouldn't be interrupted any further.

"We transported to my vault. I realise now that since the blood magic on my office was broken, the magic concealing the crypt can be broken just as easily. I've now taken further measures to lock it so she shouldn't be able to access it again. However, our curser has a more personal vendetta that we all previously thought…"

At this an hesitant look washed over Emma's features, and her father looked more like a ghost of his former self than anything else. On reflection, Regina thought, she shouldn't have used the word 'personal', because it wasn't personal to them. This crusade was against her, not anyone else.

"Don't look so alarmed, Charmings," Regina said, an expression which Emma didn't take too kindly to. "This feud doesn't concern your family. It concerns me. The woman who cursed us is my sister. And no, before you ask, I don't have any other information about her. That is it, she poofed away before I could interrogate her and I didn't think it wise to use her magic trail twice in one day when I am so relatively unfamiliar with that type of magic." The Mayor paused.

"Okay…" Emma said nervously, her worry tied between Regina getting mad at her and the severity of the situation. Mills women were tough, they were cold and ruthless and notoriously, evil. Regina was different now, but that didn't mean that she hadn't been all of those things at one time. "So what does this mean? For you, for us, for Henry?" she asked, her body on edge.

Before Regina could reply to Emma's question David's low voice came from the opposite end of the couch.

"We need to know how we are all going to fight this," he looked up at Regina and gained her eye contact. "You are not alone in this fight Regina, we will do all we can to help. I promise. If we were still in the Enchanted forest I would tell you that you have my army," he nodded, smiling at Regina in a way she had never really experienced from the Charmings, other than Emma of course. She had never really warranted it in her parent's minds though.

Regina's rosy lips curved upwards into a small smile, as she gracefully readjusted her legs into a more comfortable position.

"Thank you, David," she replied.

Emma could see the well-practiced mask stretch back out across Regina's complexion. She had started to notice it happen in Neverland, and more importantly she started to be able to read the brunette's emotions through the icy walls she was always building between herself and others. Emma was good at reading body language, feeling people's emotions - her life had required it - but with Regina it was different. She didn't even need to look at her son's mother to know what her face would look like at any given time, to know what she would be feeling. The blonde had wondered on more than one occasion whether magic was something to do with it. If they were linked after the shared magic they used to save their son from Peter Pan's entrapment. It sounded to Emma like a likely thing to happen, so she usually just went with it. It didn't occur to her that there could be some other connection between her and the woman she so loved, usually, to loathe.

"I am very grateful," Regina continued, "for the sentiment. And for the help. I will need every assistance in catching this woman, and making sure she doesn't do harm to this town." It was difficult for her to say, difficult for her to feel. The Charmings were…she wouldn't say friends, but there was definitely was a magnitude less animosity between them than there used to be. To Regina's mind they were infuriating, petty and downright annoying on frequent instances, but they were tolerable. Even though they now stood in higher stead than they had even only a few months ago, she really didn't enjoy admitting thanks to anyone. She supposed that it was due to her mother's influence; being told that she should never thank anyone for anything because it made her look weak and helpless. It was hard for her to say, but she had said it anyway.

The trio sat discussing their options for the best part of an hour after that. Regina told them about how she had informed her sister, rather unceremoniously, to fight her. Emma laughed entirely too loudly and gained a scathing look from Regina which she knew meant that she should behave herself. They anticipated, to be safe, that the woman would acknowledge Regina's challenge and concluded that they would prepare the town and townsfolk accordingly; doubling up patrols and getting everyone to pitch in, not just them, the dwarves, Red and Granny, even the fairies; everyone needed to help.

Regina knew that that the woman would fight, because she was appearing to be more and more like their mother every time they encountered one another. Even the Witch's presence gave the former Queen strange nostalgic feelings of Cora's power.

Finally, Emma and Regina showed David out of the door. He informed them that he didn't expect them to be up when he picked Henry up in the morning; focusing particularly on Emma for that comment. They waved him off quietly before returning into the house.

* * *

 

Regina abandoned the armchair and settled on the couch where Emma had been sitting previously. She appreciated the warmth that still lingered from the blonde's form, but immediately her brain caught up with her body and she berated herself for even considering thinking about such a thing. Elegantly she slipped off her heeled boots and pulled her feet up beneath her in the comfortable position she always found relaxing.

The blonde returned to the room and took the vacated spot on the sofa, turning once she was sat to face Regina. It was awkward. Neither knew what to say to the other. Emma didn't know what the Mayor thought about this whole sister thing and she didn't want to make any assumptions. She had gone through exactly she same thing with her parents. Of course she was happy she had found them in the end, but there was a never-ending void within her that was filled with sadness for all the years she had lost with them, everything that she had to endure throughout her time in foster care and in more ways than one she resented she them for it. In the past she had thought that if it wasn't for Henry, she might have been better off never finding them but she didn't feel like that anymore, of course. They were good people and she did love them, even if it wasn't in the conventional way a person loved their parents. She loved them more as friends, but that was fine with her, she supposed.

Regina's mind was a swirling vortex of thoughts; having a sister was something she had never even considered. She didn't want to think about the differences it might have made in her life but she couldn't help it. What she was more focused on however was the fact that she was going have to defeat - and almost definitely kill - another one of her kin.

Emma interrupted Regina's thought process with a question, and the brunette was more than grateful for the distraction from the mess that was jumbling her brain into mush.

"You must be starving," the blonde asked, concerned. It was just filler to the silence, but the older woman was appreciative and she had indeed forgotten that food was a necessary part of one's day-to-day existence.

"I am. I would also like a drink," Regina stated, moving to get up off of the sofa and retrieve what she was craving.

Emma looked up at her skeptically, the woman had barely eaten all day, and she had used a considerable amount of magic. She must have been exhausted, and Emma thought that drinking was the last thing she should to be doing right now.

"Maybe we should eat first Regina?" she said sheepishly, always wary of telling her son's other mother what to do, usually doing such a thing came with a death wish.

"You are welcome to dear, but first I would like a very cool, very large glass of cider."

Disbelievingly, the blonde looked up at the woman and smiled. She was really something.

"Well okay then," Emma replied, "I'm going to order pizza for us because if we're drinking we're gonna need pizza. " She removed her phone from her pocket and began looking for the number while Regina just watched her incredulously.

"And what made you think you were invited to drink with me?" she asked sarcastically, her mean sense of humour coming out to play as she toyed with the Saviour.

That gained Emma's attention.

"Well one, because I'm buying pizza and two, because who are you gonna bitch at when you're drunk if I'm not here?" she asked playfully, something glinting in her eye.

"You have a valid argument. You're lucky I'm willing to eat pizza at all though," Regina replied with finality, just the hint of a smirk on her face.

"Too right. Get us some booze and I'll ring for pizza."

"Miss Swan, I do hope you are actually capable of speaking in a grammatically correct and non-common manner or we will be having a problem," Regina joked as she walked towards out of the room. Emma knew she was joking, it was just odd to experience the Mayor's mischievous side sometimes, especially when comments like that used to be aimed at her with malice.

"Yes, Regina!" Emma shouted mockingly, but not loud enough to wake Henry, as the brunette entered the kitchen.

She reappeared mere minutes later with two glasses of her famous apple cider, and another small cask of it, along with it a bottle of tequila and two glasses, lime, and salt. Everything was situated on a tray, which was being held in mid air by Regina. She walked at a glacial pace behind the levitating object.

"Damnnnn," Emma said out of jealously. "I need to learn how to do that, seriously. It would make my life at least 700 times easier."

"Its not as easy as you think dear, It takes a lot of work to acquire magic properly. I learnt that the hard way," she paused, apparently gathering her thoughts.

The tray settled ever-so-gently onto the coffee table. Regina walked around the couch and lowered herself onto it. She leaned forward and purposefully seized her glass of cider, as did Emma. They got comfortable before the brunette continued what she was going to say. Emma waited.

"It's hard. But I think you may need to start learning properly now. What you've done so far is only tiny in comparison to what your power is capable of doing. To protect yourself, as well as everyone else, I think it would be beneficial to start lessons properly." Regina looked at Emma in earnest, taking a large sip of her drink. "I'm willing to teach you. To help you control it. Your parents will want you to learn from Blue, bu..."

"…No. I want to learn from you." Emma interrupted, "I don't want to learn fairy magic," she laughed, "I mean, if you're sure. You really don't have to."

"Don't be preposterous. I offered… I think I want to" Regina replied, the last phrase came out more nervously than she intended.

"You think?" Emma chuckled at the woman in front of her.

"Well…" Regina considered what she was about to say, how much to reveal. None of her emotions were solidified, they were fluid, and even she didn't understand them, so there was no way in hell she could possibly explain them to another person. They tangled inside her heart like wires crossing, intertwined, so many things she didn't even know yet. She chose her next words carefully.

"I consider us…friends now, Miss Swan."

Emma butted in. She knew she shouldn't have but she couldn't resist, and also she really fucking hated it when Regina called her 'Miss Swan'.

"Regina seriously, call me Emma, please," she said quickly, sipping from her already half empty cup to stop herself from saying anything else.

Regina gave her an apologetic look. They both knew it was a defence against the progression of anything deeper than mere acquaintance, especially considering what she was about to admit.

"I consider us friends now, Emma," she corrected, her face still yet warm as her russet eyes met the blonde's clover green ones. "This is the type of favour, I'm lead to believe, that friends do for each other. So I will teach you. There is one rule."

"What?" Emma said, torn between her excitement to learn magic and her fear of failing.

"You must listen to me. And you must do exactly as I say. I seem to remember you've struggled with the former especially on several occasions." Emma knew Regina was joking, but she was worried that she might disappoint her and not be as great as everyone thought she was going to be. Being the Saviour was the worst sometimes. Emma worked well under pressure, in stressful situations she always had a clear head and knew what to do, but not with pressure from people; and the pressure of being a hero was overwhelming.

"You have a deal. I will listen to you and I will do exactly as you say," she paused, and added audaciously, "to the best of my ability."

"Oh I'm sure you have enough ability," Regina sassed back with a raised eyebrow, "Child of true love."


	10. A Drunken Night In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Hey guys, it's that time again! This chapter has been one of my absolute favourites to write so far and it continues directly on from last chapter. Drunk!Regina is great and there's a little bit of emotion in there too which was so much fun to write. I hope you enjoy it. If anyone has any comments on what they'd like to happen or where they would like this to go I'm open to any suggestions. I have about 3 more chapters left which are written before I have to start coming up with ideas again! I have a plan but any suggestions (or criticisms, or general love) are always welcome.
> 
> Happy reading,
> 
> Rosie xx
> 
> (I do not own Once or any of its characters no copyright intended, you know the drill).

Emma was about to come up with a sarcastic response to Regina's comment about her being the child of true love when the doorbell sounded from outside in the atrium, signalling that their pizza had arrived. Both women had drained their glass, so the brunette took it upon herself to refill their drinks whilst Emma went to the door.

Regina heard the small exchange; listening to Emma pay the delivery boy politely and quietly shut the door. She reappeared from the kitchen thirty seconds later with plates balanced on top of the two pizza boxes.

"Henry is going to kill us when he finds out we had pizza you know?" Emma said as she walked towards the couch, putting the pizza boxes next to the tray of drinks and setting their plates out in front of them.

"He is…" Regina suddenly realised. "We'll have to save him some," she reasoned, turning to look at the other woman as her reply was heard. Emma was sitting there, a huge slice of pizza being shovelled into her mouth as if she hadn't eaten in weeks.

"I can't promise anything," Emma said in all seriousness, her words muffled by the humongous bite of cheesy goodness in her mouth.

"Sometimes I wonder if you really are a Charming," Regina said. Although Emma knew this was another one of the mayor's japes shouldn't couldn't help but allow the words to strike sadness in her. She had never had a family to belong to so the idea of being separated from them - as much as they annoyed her 95% of the time - made the blonde upset. She had been sent away from so many places in her life; places she thought would be her forever home. Still to this day a tiny part of her was terrified that this apparent happiness she had found would be ripped away from her life she had been so used to when she was a child.

"Hey…" Emma said feigning offence to cover up her true feelings, "Its just…when it comes to pizza I cant stop myself, Henry knows that."

Regina looked at the blonde, for a second pausing to consider the absurdity of this situation.

"I suppose he would do the same. Luckily, he does have one mother who isn't a fast-food junkie. He can have some of mine," the brunette replied, proceeding to daintily take bite out of her slice, holding the plate under her mouth to catch any crumbs. Emma hadn't thought to get them any cutlery.

"Thanks. I'm sorry but I'm just like Joey," Emma smiled, "I don't share food."

"I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about," Regina replied, puzzled, "Joey?"

"You know? Friends?" The blonde asked, bewildered that her brunette counterpart didn't know what Friends was. " You know, Joey doesn't share food!" She mocked his accent and tone, and if Regina had known what it was she would have realised it was a pretty decent impression.

"I'm afraid I do not know what you are talking about. I assume its something from one of those incessantly annoying television shows you seem to so love?"

"Its not one of those "incessantly annoying" shows I watch," Emma replied, using her fingers to make quotation marks in the air, "Its hilarious, and brilliant and one of the greatest shows in the history of television. And…" She said, slowly inching her hand forward to the remote which sat in-between them on the couch. Before the former Queen realised what she was doing, the blonde grabbed the device and pulled it towards herself.

"…We're watching it right now" Emma finished.

"No," the brunette groaned uncharacteristically, "Emma, really? Must we?"

"Yes," Emma laughed, a smile broadening across her entire face at the other woman's words. She mocked, "We must."

Regina simply gave Emma her most conservative of smiles, paired with a raise of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows, and replied "fine." Emma knew that her son's mother was just being difficult. It didn't even annoy her anymore, just amused her.

They settled into a comfortable silence as the blonde retrieved the very first episode of Friends from Regina's on demand service. The younger woman had insisted that they start at the very beginning, considering her elder had never watched it before. She wanted Regina to get the "full experience", as she explained. The episode started and both women continued to eat their pizza; Emma from the box and Regina from her plate. Sporadically, they also continued to drink, the blonde filling them up this time when they depleted, and The Mayor the time after that.

To the Saviour's absolute astonishment the former Queen even laughed out loud on one occasion, but then afterwards insisted that it had never happened. She said that the show was at most tolerable, but Emma knew she was enjoying it; she just didn't want to admit that she was wrong. The blonde spent most of the time sneakily watching Regina's actions out of the corner of her eye rather than watching the actual television. The woman's face was kind of adorable when it was screwed up in concentration and down right beautiful when her eyes danced with laughter every so often. As the she thought back on the evening so far, Emma fully fathomed that this night with Regina was unlike anything they had ever done before. They were joking with each other, picking on one another; but not in their usual way. Only one or two comments aside, their entire conversation this evening had come from a place of lightheartedness, of teasing, rather than their usual spiteful intentions.

It was as if Emma was watching their relationship change in front of her eyes. She had known that they were becoming closer, more amiable, but she hadn't yet realised to what extend that had actually happened. Obviously, Emma herself had some unresolved feelings towards the Queen. In ways she had never been able to fully comprehend she felt drawn to the other woman. But she never imagined that the woman actually liked spending time with her too.

 _At least I think she's enjoying herself_ , Emma pondered, analysing. _Either that or she's a way better actress than I thought._

Towards the end of their third episode, when the blonde had devoured her entire pizza and Regina had eaten her fill, when the carafe of cider was empty and they were relaxing back on the couch, Emma decided it was time for shots. It was already fairly late, but it was a Saturday tomorrow and Henry was spending the day learning sword fighting with his grandfather so really the two women could drink as much as they so wished.

"Come on," Emma turned to face Regina, something suspicious coating her features. "It's time for shots."

"If you insist. I am partial to a drop of Tequila though. I had never experienced liquor of its sort until I came to this land."

"You don't have Tequila in the Enchanted Forest?!" Emma asked with mock disgrace.

"No, I believe the plant from which it is made doesn't grow on our soil. I have always been a fan of Whiskey and Brandy, but there is nothing quite the same which we were capable of producing."

"That sucks," the blonde reasoned, "I'm totally never going to live in the Enchanted forest now."

The two dark red shot glasses were filled with the yellow liquid and a lime placed across the top of each by Emma. The mayor leant forward, holding her hand out whilst using a dab of the liquor on her hand to wet it. Emma laughed at her as she held out her hand for salt. Regina watched as the other woman licked her hand generously and repeat the process.

Simultaneously they picked up the glasses and downed the ochre liquid in one gulp. Regina immediately thrust the lime into her mouth. The blonde watched the former Queen's face contort just slightly at the taste of the liquid while she let the taste overflow through her own mouth and feel the heat spread down her gullet before she teased the lime wedge between her teeth gently.

Regina looked up at Emma expectantly, "another?"

"Yuuuup," the Saviour replied, wondering what thoughts it was that were causing Regina to begin heavily drinking. She wanted to ask what the other woman was feeling but she knew better.

Emma prepared the next shots, and the ones after that. They did 5 shots in the space of two minutes or so and both women were beginning to feel the effects of the liquor, especially when it had been combined with a generous amount of cider beforehand.

They both leant back on the sofa for a few minutes. Regina's head was resting against the back cushion lightly. If Emma didn't know any better she would have said that the Mayor was a lightweight…Not that anyone could really be considered a lightweight after holding a few pints of cider and five Tequila shots.. She, on the other hand, was staring into space, getting her bearings after the last shot.

Slowly, the other woman's movement distracted Emma's attention. Regina unhurriedly raised her head, looking up at the blonde from under hooded eyelids.

"I think I'm drunk," she announced.

"Ha!" Emma laughed, "I think you are. I think in one more shot I will be too."

"Well then you should do another, naturally," Regina gestured with a wave of her hand as she replied, gazing at Emma intently through hooded eyelids.

The younger woman obeyed Regina's wish and poured herself another shot, downing it just as swiftly as all the ones before that. This one went to her head. Over the next few minutes she felt herself become slowly more intoxicated. They sat in silence, staring at the television. The world was pulsating slightly around Emma was and she turned her head to glance at the brunette it was like everything moved in slow-motion, like the way the road moved when sat in a speeding car.

It was only when Emma went to the bathroom and returned that she noticed how truly drunk she was. She couldn't walk in a straight line, and when Regina attempted to follow suit she stumbled out of the room even more loudly than Emma had done. On reflection, it was actually really irresponsible for them to get this hammered when they could be attacked by a Wicked Witch at any moment but that thought drifted out of Emma's head as quickly as it arrived.

The blonde was still staring at the screen in front of her when she felt Regina land haphazardly back onto the sofa. The woman had her legs stretched out, so they were only a few inches away from Emma's and she leant comfortably against the arm of the couch.

Everything within Emma's head moved at half speed, her thought processes slowing down considerably, her inhibitions lowering. She felt an overwhelming urge to touch Regina in some way. All she wanted was a shred of physical contact, and she knew it was just the drink talking but was it, really?

 _Drunk thoughts are sober thoughts_ , Emma reasoned. _No, that wasn't right. Sober thoughts are drunk words? No. Whatever._ All Emma knew was that any shred of feeling she had for Regina when she was sober was multiplied by a thousand when she had liquor inside her.

The room span as she moved her eye line from the scene with the Magic Eye illusion book where everyone is making fun of Ross, to Regina.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked, concerned that she had talked the other woman into drinking a little more than she was actually capable of handling.

"Yes," Regina replied, forcing herself to look up at Emma. "I'm fine. Just…" she searched for the right word. Her eyes fell closed the open again and a strand of her usually perfectly pruned hair fell in front of her eyes. "Drunk. I'm definitely drunk. Very drunk."

"Can't hold your liquor Madame Mayor?" Emma provoked, the slyest smile that she could manage, which wasn't anything special, came to her thin lips. Her eyes were glinting altogether too brightly for her face to look anywhere close to mean.

"I am perfectly capable of holding my liquor, _Miss Swan_ ," She slurred, "but I think you'll find Tequila has rather adverse affects on my disposition."

Emma laughed then, and Regina didn't really see what was funny.

"Why are you laughing at me? You are drunk too, are you not?" she slurred. Emma continued to laugh at her and Regina's face broke into a child-like frown.

"Stop laughing at me. I demand it."

"Sorry it's just," she laughed again, "it clearly doesn't have that much of a negative effect on you. You still speak like the Queen of England even when you're fucked!" Emma continued laughing, her hands slapping down either side of her.

"And apparently you become even more profane that you were originally. Who knew," she replied sarcastically through her inebriation. "A lady must remain a lady even when she is hammered my dear."

Being as drunk as she was, the words that came out of Emma's mouth next didn't even make it to her brain for approval before she expelled them.

"You're pretty great you know Regina," she said drunkenly, looking the other woman up and down. Once her brain caught up with her mouth, she realised that actually she was too drunk to care what she was saying, so she let herself continue regardless. "Like…" she pondered, "You're a great mom…"

Regina looked at her incredulously, managing it even in her drunken state.

"No but…really…" Emma continued, "you're so great for Henry, you're way better for him than I ever could have been, and you're like, really good at magic," she said, emphasising the word really a little too much. "Oh and, you're really really good at cooking. Like…the best. Your lasagne…Oh my god. I could eat at least four trays of it right now."

Regina didn't know what to say and the blonde knew that. Even with her inhibitions lowered it was impossible for Regina to accept compliments, especially ones which involved the words 'you're pretty great'. It was something she had never been given the luxury of receiving before. She stared at Emma, really taking in her face for the first time in a while.

During Emma's laughing fit her hand and come to rest ever-so-slightly against the brunette's leg. Subconsciously, she had begun to draw tiny, light circles with her thumb against the other woman's stocking-covered calf. It was all Regina could concentrate on; all that she could feel. It was as if her Tequila filled brain wouldn't allow her to focus on anything else other than the minuscule movements of her son's other mother's hand.

"I don't know what to say," Regina voiced quietly, nervously, still focusing on Emma's fingers playing along her leg.

Emma laughed again but her face suddenly turned serious as she looked the brunette directly in the eyes, "You don't have to say anything. Really." The blonde closed her eyes, breathed out slowly and ran her fingers through her hair before she continued. "I just…didn't know whether anyone had told you that and I thought you should know because its the truth."

The show on the tv in front of them now long forgotten Emma pulled her knees up onto the couch and turned so she was facing Regina head on. Silence pervaded the air as they stared at each other, both contemplating the direction this conversation could go in. Their standoffs had always been aggressive, eyes fuelled with fire and rage but this time there was a softness to both their gazes that neither woman really knew how to process with the amount of Tequila hazing their mind. Emma's movements continued as she stared into the swirling pools of emotion that were Regina pupils.

Regina contemplated telling Emma things, things which she had been thinking for what she remembered to be a long time. She didn't know what had happened in the last year but she did know how she had felt before that, how she had felt when she woke up from her vision after Pan's curse, realising that she and the woman in front of her were more inextricably connected that she had ever thought possible. But this wasn't the time, Regina decided. She was too drunk to have this conversation and she wanted to have it at a time when she could be sure that both she and Emma would remember it. The blonde's words struck a chord within her again as she looked into green eyes. Emma was right, not one single person had ever told her she was worth anything, or had ever told her that she was great. But the woman in front of her had said it with such ease, such absolute truth that she couldn't help but believe it. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was the fact that deep down somewhere under the drunken mess that was her insides right now Regina knew that even if it wasn't true Emma really believed it to be so, otherwise she wouldn't have said it.

"I can't…" Regina started. The Saviour looked at her expectantly but said nothing.

"I cannot believe what you say. I am in fact the complete opposite of great. I am an adequate mother at most, and a terrible human being." She looked down at Emma's hand on her leg and faltered. She stretched her hand out slowly, running her fingertips across the soft material of her stockings before they reached the warm and somehow softer skin of the blonde's hand. The other woman moved her fingers from tracing patterns on Regina's calf to running her thumb smoothly up and down the hand that was now wrapped in her's.

"But you are the first person that has ever told me I am worth more than what I have become. Sometimes I think you actually appreciate me for me." Regina had no idea where she was going with this and right now all she was doing was making a fool of herself. _Showing your emotions is weakness, a voice in her head told her. She doesn't care. Stop trying. Be quiet before you embarrass yourself_. She closed her eyes and didn't open them again until she heard a steady, melodic voice enter her ears and change everything.

"You may think you are worthless Regina, but you are the most incredible, powerful and wonderfully intriguing woman I have ever met. I appreciate all that you are and don't you ever forget it, promise?"

She looked up at Emma then and something about the look in the other woman's eye filled her heart with something she hadn't felt in years. There was so much honesty and purity in those emerald wonders that for a millisecond the former Queen let her emotions take over her entire soul.

Before she comprehended exactly what she was doing, Regina launched herself across the length of the sofa and unabashedly attached her lips to Emma's thin pale ones, all without detaching their hands which were now gripped together with a force she didn't know she was capable of. She felt a twitch underneath her lips, and within a few seconds the woman underneath her was responding to the kiss, melting into her in a way that made Regina think she actually wanted the same thing.

Something exploded inside the brunette as she continued to slide her lips and tongue drunkenly over Emma's, something that she hadn't ever thought she would feel again. She hung on for dear life; and Emma held back. They clutched onto each other in their drunkenness like nothing else mattered.

Emma took control, parting Regina's lips with her tongue. She could feel every inch of her body, her hands coming up, one resting around Regina's waist and the other coming to grip her neck with fervour. She couldn't even grasp the fact that she was actually kissing Regina Mills at that moment. However, she didn't have a chance to ponder the kiss any longer because as quickly as it had begun, it was over.

The blonde looked into Regina's eyes as she pulled away, not knowing what to say or do, what the woman wanted her to say or do. She didn't have a chance to say anything because the brunette swiftly removed herself from the couch and stepped towards the door.

"Goodnight Emma," she said as she turned away and stumbled out of sight.

Emma didn't reply. She didn't know if she should. In situations like this - not that she had ever been in this situation with Regina before - but in situations which prompted extreme feeling from Regina it was best to leave her to cope with things on her own.

The living room was tidied, the television turned off before the Saviour retired to bed. As she passed the stairs she contemplated going up; going to speak to Regina. Her foot rested on the first step but she decided it was best not to, especially considering how drunk she still was. So she made her way to her bedroom for a restless night of wondering what the morning would bring.

* * *

 

The following day Regina awoke to a splitting headache and a taste in her mouth that could only have been caused by vomiting the night before. Her innards were swirling around inside her, her stomach felt like it had been hit by an 18-wheeler. Her hand flopped over her face to shield the sun coming through her slightly open curtains. When she tried to remember how she had gotten herself into this state, very little came back to her. She remembered the encounter with her sister, coming home and speaking to Emma and Charming. She recalled that she and Emma had commenced drinking not long after her father had left, that they had ordered pizza and started watching a surprisingly entertaining television show. As she remembered the Tequila her stomach lurched, but she held it in. After that her mind was a blank. She rolled over, groaning as she did so, to check the time.

"Shit", the brunette cursed aloud. It was eleven o'clock. She hadn't slept in this late in decades, maybe even ever.

Downstairs, Emma was sitting at the island having a stare-off with a huge, steaming mug of coffee. She didn't know what Regina's reaction to her would be this morning or whether she would even talk to her at all after their kiss so she sat quietly and waited, turning around when she heard soft footfalls from the stairs. Emma was definitely feeling worse for wear this morning so she didn't even want to think about how Regina was feeling.

The blonde was looking as the entranceway as the mayor padded in, bare feet making little sound on the floor. She was still dressed in her pyjamas, and Emma had to stop herself from thinking that even hung-over and dressed in her jammies, the former Queen still looked like, well, a queen.

Waiting for Regina to make the first move, Emma sat silently and drank her coffee. After the brunette had poured herself a cup and situated herself opposite Emma, they spoke for the first time.

"I am never drinking with you again", Regina said accusingly, "I have _never_ experienced a hangover like this in my entire life."

Emma was stunned; Regina wasn't mad at her, it wasn't awkward, it didn't even seem like… _Fuck_. Emma thought, _fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck_. She doesn't remember.

"Really…" the blonde replied nervously, "this was like, every weekend of my life for god knows how many years…"

"Really Emma, your penchant for alcohol does astonish me. Don't misunderstand me, I do like a drink, but usually I am hangover free, an effect of my magic, no doubt."

Puzzled, the Saviour looked at her son's mother across the island, "Then how come you have one today?" She still couldn't quite look Regina in the eye, and was focused on a spot just above the mayor's shoulder. If the mayor knew what had happened last night they wouldn't be sitting here having such a casual conversation right now.

"I don't know. I'm as puzzled as you are, dear. Maybe it is the consequence of my overt use of magic yesterday."

"Yeah…" Emma pondered, "I guess that makes sense… So David text me telling me he picked up Henry alright this morning, they're down at the docks, apparently Hook is involved in the lessons too."

Regina's face darkened at that comment but she said nothing and focused on the mug of coffee in front of her instead.

"I have to head down to the station for a few hours, then I'll pick him up from David and Mary Margret's on the way home." Emma had just, without realising, called Regina's house 'home'.

"Wonderful," Regina replied, not noticing the blonde's use of words, "I will be stopping by the vault at some point. I'm going to attempt to find out more about the woman's magic. I shall cook us dinner, Lasagne perhaps?"

"Sounds great." Emma smiled, but inside she was a wreck. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't very well come out and tell Regina they had kissed last night, or that they had has some kind of deep and meaningful conversation, but she also felt terribly guilty allowing the woman to continue without knowing. The lesser of two evils, she decided, was to wait for the opportune time to tell her. Informing her of it now would just make things worse. It was just a drunken mistake, wasn't it? But the blonde's mind drifted back to the kiss, the way it felt to have the brunette's lips against hers, the way the other woman had clutched at her shirt like she never planned to let go. The rest of the night was mostly a blur, but the kiss she remembered with such fervent clarity it could have happened just seconds ago.

Both women finished their coffee and advanced from the kitchen to get ready for their already delayed day. Emma yelled a goodbye to Regina as she left the house and walked toward her yellow bug that was parked just outside the house on Mifflin Street.


	11. Full of Distractions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Hey guys! Here we have the aftermath of drunkenness and the prequel to something biiiiiiig. There's now over 100 people following this story which has blown me away, I just hope that I can do it justice! As always reviews are appreciated and criticisms and ideas are welcomed! I hope you've all had a good week and have a good week to come.
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> Rosie
> 
> (I do not own Once or any of its characters, no copyright intended).

Down at the station Emma sat at her desk, the surface littered with white sheets of paper strewn in all directions. In all the chaos that had ensued since she returned, the patrols and stakeouts and hours spent responding to calls from scared townspeople who thought that the Witch was lurking in their flowerbeds or something a stupid as that, she hadn't had time to do any paperwork. Regina had drummed into her the importance of getting it all done, and frankly she was scared not to. She did think though, sometimes, that in their town with its minuscule economy and lack of contact with the rest of the country, was there really need for paperwork at all?

"Urgh," Emma groaned noisily, resting her head on her hands and closing her eyes. She was so bored she would have given anything not to be filling out sheets right now and it also wasn't helping that she hadn't yet got over her hangover. She looked up at the clock and noticed it was only 1pm; she had another two hours at least until she could go and collect Henry. Her brain was turning into mush; she wasn't even taking in what she was reading anymore. For a millisecond she actually wished for something to happen out in the town so she could have some excuse not to finish her work. But then she thought better of it. In this town - knowing what kind of crazy shit happens - wishing for something as a distraction was just asking to be attacked by an ogre or something much worse.

Instead of focusing on what she was supposed to be doing, all Emma could do was stare aimlessly into space and contemplate the events of last night again; the quantity of Tequila which had lead Regina to jump on her and attach those beautiful, succulent red lips to her own. The blonde suddenly remembered, to her embarrassment, that it had been her compliments which promoted this reaction from the other woman. Emma was very, very, glad that the brunette couldn't remember the things she had confessed, things which the blonde usually would have hidden deep inside, things which she had never in the entire time of knowing Regina even thought about telling her, even though she had had the same opinions from the very beginning.

Emma had absolutely no idea what to do about the whole situation. She couldn't exactly go tell Regina what had happened. She imagined how that conversation would go down…

_"Oh, by the way Regina, when you were really drunk last night I told you you were wonderful and convinced you out of thinking you were worthless and then you kissed me…Just thought you'd like to know."_

She could see the look of unadulterated shock and disgust on Regina's face now. It wasn't as if they hated each other anymore. I mean…Emma certainly didn't hate Regina, and clearly the woman had warmed up to her also. But it was the alcohol talking. The alcohol and the fact that no one in the brunette's life had ever been loving or caring towards her. No one except her father and look what happened there. Emma sighed. Why did this situation have to be so fucking complicated? There were so many things she wanted to tell Regina, and not just about the kiss last night; she wanted to tell her about the dream she'd had that basically convinced her to come back to Storybrooke for a woman she didn't even know, she wanted to tell her that she would make sure that no one would ever treat her in the way she had been treated ever again, that Emma would make sure of it. The thing that was screwing her up most was that she really, really wanted to kiss Regina again. Like, almost more than she'd ever wanted anything in her life. For several moments too long she lost herself in the memory of what it had been like, then berated herself for enjoying a kiss that the other person didn't even remember.

Emma would tell tell her just…not yet. Things were too good at the moment to fuck anything up. Well, good is relative when you have a Witch on the loose but for her life, things were pretty good. She decided that she would tell Regina once this was all over. They needed to focus on dealing with her sister first and they really could do without the distraction of brewing feelings. Not that she knew if Regina had feelings for her but Emma was certainly starting to think that she had feelings and she really didn't want to address them until the threat of death wasn't looming over their heads. If they got out of this alive, then she would tell her. The blonde's mind was made. What could a few weeks hurt?

 

* * *

 

Across town, Regina was sitting on the large, ornate chair in her vault, taking a break from her books and spells in an attempt to discontinue the swirling vortex that she was feeling inside. Having never had a hangover before she now understood exactly why people complained so often about the phenomenon, it really was not at all pleasant. Her head was pounding despite the painkillers she had taken and her hands broke out into tiny earthquake-like tremors every now and again.

Despite this, she was glad the night had happened. It had been a long time since she had really enjoyed herself like she did last night, or what she could remember of it. If Emma hadn't been there she likely would have gotten drunk by herself and done much more self-destructive things, things which she had been trying to talk herself out of on her walk home last night. Regina's childhood had left some not so shallow emotional wounds which occasionally were ripped open, and when this happened there was very little she could do other than allow them to bleed and wallow in the pain that they brought her. Henry had been a cure, for some time, but eventually her nightmares always found their way into the light of day again.

The former Queen stood gracefully, allowing herself to steady before she took a sure-footed step forward. The sound of her heels on the flagstone floor echoed throughout the room. It was the only sound she could hear. She made her way towards the heart chests, searching out one in particular. Before she was even five feet away the desired box came towards her out of the wall, a slow grinding sound accompanying it. She held the chest against her with both hands and made her way slowly back to her previous seat. In a childlike manor she slipped off her shoes and raised her knees towards her chin, gripping the edge of the chair with her socked toes. The heart box was balanced precariously on her knees and she simply stared at it for minutes.

It was only at times like this, when she was alone that Regina allowed herself to show even the tiniest morsel of real, raw emotion. A guttural sob broke from her mouth as she stared at the box in front of her, yet she wasn't even quite sure why she was crying. She attributed it to the hangover, hormones, whatever. But the truth was there had been a lot to deal with recently and she hadn't really let herself _feel_ it. She was used to bottling things up inside. Her days as the Evil Queen had been spent ignoring any and every emotion she ever had that wasn't rage, hatred or regret. But things had changed a lot since then, and something had unlocked her power to feel. She attributed it to Henry, yet there had been times much after Henry's appearance in her life that she had not allowed herself to feel anything but those emotions which tore her up inside. She had always had to remind herself that showing emotion wasn't weakness, contrary to what she had been told all her life, but recently she had been showing it of her own accord; as if the little bird in its cage inside her blackened heart was finally spreading its wings and learning to fly. What the cause of it could be she did not know, but she was starting to not despise it. It was beginning to make her feel as if she deserved to feel; to cry, to laugh, to love. So she let the tears roll down her face. There was no point in stopping them any more, and more than a large part of her didn't even want to.

It was her mother's heart. The heart of a woman who had tormented, manipulated, beaten and in her own twisted way, loved Regina. The woman had made her life a living hell; she had manicured the brunette into her perfect little Princess and when that didn't work she turned her into a cold-blooded killer, an Evil Queen who murdered for fun and ruined hundreds of lives before breakfast each day. It was times like this that it really sank in for Regina that her entire life had been a lie. Everyone around her had controlled her from all angles. She had been a puppet, a slave to the whims of the two most powerful people the world had ever known.

This sister of hers, she reasoned, had to have been born before her. Cora was a master manipulator but even she didn't have the capability to hide a pregnancy from her husband and daughter for nine whole months. Regina's father cannot have known because otherwise he wouldn't have yearned after another sibling for the brunette to spend her time with. He always wanted her to have a friend, a sister or brother to protect and love her simply because she wasn't getting love from anywhere else. He tried his best but his efforts were minimal and as much as she loved his Regina saw now more than ever how much of a coward he had been. If she had been in his position she would have stood up for her child every time it was needed, even if it meant getting killed a thousand times over. She would never have let anyone treat Henry the way her mother treated her. But that was the difference between them she supposed. Now, after all this time, she had a heart and her mother's was as cold and dead as it had been when it was inside her body.

As much as she hated to even consider the idea, from what she knew about her mother's past (any or all of which she supposed could be a lie too), the most likely man to be her sisters father would be the one and only Rumplestiltskin. The thought made Regina feel even queasier than she already did. If there had been any remnants of magic left in the room the brunette may have been able to figure out of that was true or not, or at least make a more educated guess, but it had all dissipated and so they were left with nothing. All they could do was wait like sitting ducks and hope they weren't taken too much by surprise. The town didn't yet know that this new threat was only after Regina, and she was anxious to tell them. She would be blamed for bringing them back here, for cursing them all again, and that was something she wasn't sure she could cope with right now.

Wiping the remaining tears from her face and pulling herself back together; Regina stretched out her legs and held the box firmly in two hands. After replacing it in its position, she returned to gather her things.

The atmosphere was becoming oppressive. The Mayor felt like she was suffocating under all the unsorted emotions that lingered in the air so she made her way up towards the light of the early evening sun, pulling her phone from her bag as she went.

* * *

 

When she surfaced and her phone signal returned she realised she had 2 missed calls and 2 texts from Emma, and a missed call from Henry. Alarm bells immediately rang in her head and she checked the messages first. Absentmindedly she pushed her father tomb back into place and stepped out into the fresh air, pulling the door closed behind her.

**Picking Henry up now, off to Granny's for cocoa then home. See you there. E**

Was the first of the two, checking the timestamp the brunette saw it had been send at 3.45pm. She moved on to the next message,

**Why don't you get fucking signal in the Vault. Called you twice. Come home AS SOON AS YOU GET THIS. E.**

Regina checked the timestamp, 5.36pm. She checked the time on the main screen of her phone she realised this was only 2 minutes ago. Before responding she picked up the voicemail that the woman had also left her and raised the phone to her ear;

 _"Hey, Regina, you need to get back to the house like right now,_ Emma said, her voice holding a nervous tone that set Regina's entire being on edge. _Don't worry, Henry is safe, just get back here asap okay? Bye."_

Regina's feet started moving before the message even finished. She elegantly ran to the Mercedes, which made her feel ore than a little nauseous, threw her bag on the passenger seat, slammed the door and started the engine in one fluid motion. She was halfway home before she knew it, trees and buildings soaring past, breaking every speed limit she had ever enforced as Mayor.

Like something out of a movie, only without the screeching tyres, the brunette pulled into the drive in record time and was greeted by Emma and Henry standing outside the front door.

She didn't even bother getting her things, just threw the door open and walk purposefully across the lawn to meet her son and his mother.

"What on earth is happening?! You two would have me thinking a sinkhole appeared and swallowed the house with you in it," she accused the blonde, giving Henry a fleeting look too, considering it appeared, contrary to what she had been thinking, that they were both alive and well.

From their faces, however, Regina realised this might not be time for her usual accusations of Emma's incompetence. The blonde looked at her with an apprehensive look on her face, but it was Henry who cleared up the situation for Regina.

"Someone broke into the house Mom," he started, letting his other mother continue.

"We got back and as soon as I opened the door I saw that something wasn't right, the drawers from the dresser in the lobby were all over the floor and your study doors were wide open, it looks pretty messed up in there. I gave the bottom floor a quick once over and I'm pretty sure she's gone, but we decided to stay out here until you came back because of the magic thing, you know, just in case," Emma finished.

"Well done," she said, resting her hand protectively on Henry's shoulder while he and his blonde mother looked up at her and awaited instructions. "I'm really starting to loose patience with this witch now. I shall go in and survey the damage. Call David, tell him I want guards outside this house at all times, I don't care who," she addressed Emma. "Henry, stay out here with Emma for a few minutes."

She snaked carefully into the house, first looking at her study. It appears as if her sister had been looking for something, something specific by the looks of it, because nothing was missing. The room was a mess though, all the books had been pulled down from their shelves; every drawer in her desk had been turned upside down. The woman was obviously looking for something that she couldn't find in Regina's office. Regina suspected the thing she was looking for had something to do with their mother, or maybe something to do with Regina's power, but she couldn't say for sure. After she checked the whole house over, finding nothing missing, she returned to the front porch where Emma and Henry were now stood with Bashful, Happy and Grumpy, sent by David to watch the house.

* * *

 

The clean up operation took them several hours. The blonde and their son put everything in piles, papers in one place, books another, and the Mayor returned them all to their rightful homes. By the time they were finished, Henry was so hungry that he professed he could eat an troll and of course, Emma was always hungry, so as a family they set to making dinner which mostly consisted of Emma and Henry being annoying and getting thrown out of the "cooking area" by Regina, who was feeling her hangover finally dissipate.

Finally, they sat down to eat in the dining room around 9pm. The brunette boy had furnished their guards with large helpings of his mother's famous lasagna, which they were more than grateful for. The trio sat mostly in silence, Emma still feeling slightly awkward around Regina considering the knowledge she possessed which the Mayor did not. Towards the end of their meal, the entrance of Bashful from the back door by the kitchen interrupted them.

"Sorry to intrude, Emma, Madame Mayor…," he began.

"…Regina is fine, please," she interrupted.

"Regina," he said, looking down at the small piece of paper in his hands. "I uh…found this by the back door… I don't know when it got there but uh…here," he reached out his hand towards Regina and she graciously plucked it from his fingers.

"Sorry again…" he said, "and thank you for the food," he added, turning on his heels and scurrying away.

"You are very welcome," Regina smiled up at him but he was gone already, the back door clicked behind him.

Both mothers and son looked worriedly at the letter, Regina's worry showing through her mask only just enough that Emma could notice it.

It was a small, off-white piece of parchment, not like the paper that they now used in this world. The brunette unfolded it gently and took in the words written in green ink in a cursive, flowing hand across the page.

_**Tomorrow we fight. 7pm. Clocktower. All must attend.** _

It was signed off at the bottom in bold, swirling letters that jumped off the page.

_**Zelena** _

* * *

 

Across town Zelena chuckled to herself. Her moron of a sister was absolutely unbelievable. Not only did she have the most incompetent guards she had ever encountered, she was also so fixated on that son of hers and his safety that she entirely forgot to seal up the vault in her wake.

The Witch had known that Regina would use a different spell after the blood magic fiasco, something preventing her from getting in, even with her level of magical ability, so she had to stage a distraction. There wasn't anything in the mansion she needed; all she wanted was for Regina to speed home, scared about the whereabouts of her son and that Saviour and forget to lock up. She hadn't thought that the woman would actually fall for it but apparently she was more idiotic that Zelena had first considered.

 _This is going to be too easy_ , she thought to herself, smirking, as she pushed the heavy mausoleum door open with a soft hand. He examined her surroundings for a second before pushing all her weight onto the tomb stone and moving it deftly out of the way.

Her black cloak flowed like murky water behind her as she descended the stairs into the gloom of the vault. This wouldn't take long; she knew exactly what she was looking for, she just had to find it. That had been the purpose of her sneaky little teleport the other day that her sister so graciously tagged along with. She had wanted to see the inside of the vault to determine whether what she needed was there or not.

She gave herself a metaphorical pat on the back for her intelligence; killing two birds with one stone was definitely the way to do things. The quicker she could enact her curse the quicker that bitch would pay for what she had done. Zelena walked forward purposefully towards the wall of chests. She closed her eyes, imagined what she needed and when they opened again the correct box was floating out towards her. She placed it carefully on the small table and opened it to see a blackened lump, as solid as coal. That was it, she was sure. It wouldn't have presented itself to her if it hadn't been the right one.

The next item on her mental list was harder to find. It took her longer than expected, minutes of opening boxes and looking behind candles until she found it. A small box, hidden inside a very old very large spell book. She opened the box and marvelled at the contents. It was a small pendant with an Emerald set in the middle; the most powerful magical talisman known to mankind, granting the wearer immunity from any magical spells cast upon them. She pulled it out and slipped it carefully around her neck before tucking it in between the think fur on her cloak, then returned the box to its previous place.

On her way out she sealed the doors behind her, so that Regina would be none the wiser should she return. She would simply just think that she had sealed the door without thinking and left in a hurry to get back to her son and his mother.

 _Perfect_ , she thought as she felt the power of the necklace reconcile itself with her own power, filling her body and mind with an ineffable feeling, _this will do quite nicely_.


	12. The Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> Hey guys!  
> Suuuuuuper long chapter here for you, the longest so far! I didn’t intend it to be so big but I didn’t want to split the last scenes up so I decided to keep them all together. The second half of the chapter was one of my favourite things to write yet, so I hope you enjoy it! Next chapter will address some of the things I’ve put on hold for a while… there will be some more Robin/Tink stuff so stay tuned! As always a girl loves reviews, if you like what’s happening, or don’t, I would love to hear from you!  
> Happy reading!  
> Rosie  
> (I do not own OUAT or any of the characters, no copyright intended).

7 o'clock the next evening rolled around quicker than anyone anticipated. Snow and Charming held a meeting with all the townspeople, explaining to them the situation; who this woman was that had cursed them all. There was the obligatory blaming of Regina but the number of people who distrusted her was getting lesser and lesser each time they met. It appeared that the Saviour's affiliation with the former Queen was helping her reputation tenfold. The townsfolk assumed, for the most part, that Regina couldn't be all that bad if Emma was spending time with her; even living in her house and allowing their son to see her too. Some of them expressed distaste at having to attend this "show", and Snow and David were concerned too, but they knew that even if they asked the people expressly not to be there, they would all turn up anyway. The Storybrooke residents were all suckers for even the slightest bit of gossip; none of them would miss this, even at risk to their own lives.

While the meeting went on Regina and Emma were preparing all they could. If the brunette's suspicions were true about her parentage then Zelena could well be more powerful than she and Emma combined. Emma's power was strong, even though she was a novice, but uncontrolled. They agreed that if they came out of this encounter alive they would commence magic lessons straight away. The blonde's power was strong because she was a product of true love, but the woman they were up against… If Cora was her mother and Rumple her father, the result could be disastrous. The brunette did all the research she could on the power of those born from dark magic. Speaking to Gold about this would have been preferable but Regina had decided to steer clear of him until this encounter was over; she didn't want him to know the truth, assuming that he hadn't already found out, and the general consensus from her and Emma's reading was that it was only light magic that could defeat dark, which Regina already knew already. In other words, it was only Emma's magic that could defeat Regina's sister, but the blonde's magic was nowhere near developed enough to defend herself against a woman whose magic was so powerful. This was how, on that evening at 7 o'clock they gathered in the town square with the rest of the residents, unprepared and terrified about what was going to happen.

They all looked up at the clock tower in apprehension as it finished its final ring, signalling that it was 7pm on the dot. Dark has swept over Storybrooke and David was uneasy, he and Snow still maintaining that it was a bad idea for their people to be exposed in the open with such danger looming over all their heads.

"I think we should get everyone to go home, this isn't safe," he whispered to his wife, just out of Emma and Regina's earshot.

The townspeople were starting to get scared and some had already returned to their houses in fear of the witch that was set to arrive any minute.

Rumple was standing silently outside his shop, watching from a distance. He could help them, but he wouldn't, they knew that. He had already told him that he was remaining unaligned and although that angered more than a few of the townspeople there wasn't anything they could do about it. In reality, Regina and Emma could really use his help fighting Zelena as they were more than sure that this was going to go disastrously. But as the brunette had pointed out to Emma earlier, no matter what happened it would give them some kind of an idea what they were really up against.

The blonde was standing in front of Regina with several other people standing around her so she was relatively hidden from her sister's view in the darkness. She had tried to discourage Emma from putting herself in the direct line of fire but had been ignored as usual, and the blonde did have a point. Regina's magic, though more powerful than Emma's, could potentially be ineffective, so it made sense for Emma to try first, even if it didn't work. The brunette was not best pleased with this plan and the idea of Emma putting herself in danger for her made her heart sink. If anything happened to her Regina wasn't entirely sure what she would do. The thing that baffled her most, however, was the fact that Emma was actually willing to do this for Regina. No one had ever offered to put themselves on the line for her before. Things between them were better, they were friends, but she was unsure when things had changed so drastically between them that Emma was willing to sacrifice herself for Regina, if it came down to that. To this town she had only ever been scorned or used for her magic and Emma was treating her as if she was worth so much more than her abilities. It was bizarre, but in a way, wonderful.

As the commotion continued and Regina's thoughts sped along at a thousand miles a minute, Zelena appeared. She felt Emma tense in front of her and reach her hand backwards to brush Regina's arm just slightly. It made the brunette focus and she stilled behind the blonde in front of her, obscuring herself from view.

Through a cloud of green smoke the witch emerged, dressed head to toe in black, looking like something Emma had seen in movies when she was younger. The woman was wearing heavy black boots and a long velvet dress with a sweeping train down the back and intricate beading across the bodice. On her chest was a large, shining green amulet on a gold chain. All of this was paired with a large hat, like the kind children wear on Halloween. It would have made Emma scared if it didn't look so funny.

"Well, well, well, I'm glad everyone could make it," she sneered in their general direction as the cloud dissipated, sinister emerald eyes meeting the blonde's more open ones as she appeared to have become the centre of the group. A hand brushed her back fleetingly and she knew this was the brunette's way of reassuring her without revealing herself.

"Now where is my sister?" Zelena asked Emma directly, "I have been ever-so excited to properly make her acquaintance." The woman looked round; not spotting Regina in the crowd immediately, she became aggravated.

"Is she too terrified of my power to come and face me like a woman?" she asked, a sly smile creeping upon her lips.

The magic Zelena was releasing into the air was filled with terror and power; it made Emma feel dirty, like just being near her was tarnishing her magic, something that had never happened with Regina. Emma reasoned that she actually could have been quite beautiful if it wasn't for this. The witch had a soft face, which Emma suspected had been hardened by years of grief and resentment and beautiful red hair that was pinned up tightly, just showing underneath her hat.

Emma bolstered herself, she knew her power would be more effective than Regina's would but she was still scared witless. She hardened her face and eyes, mimicking the mask that the brunette so carefully painted onto her face everyday.

"If you want to get to her, you're gonna have to go through me," Emma answered boldly, much to the shock of the townsfolk around them. Her reply prompted an ungodly cackle from the witch opposite her.

"Oh, and who do you think you are?" Zelena spat, literally, at Emma's feet, "her bodyguard?" She asked, advancing on Emma step by step as the blonde held her hands out to her sides, summoning all the power she could muster towards the threat in front of her.

"No," the blonde replied, gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes in a struggle to get her power under control, "I'm the Saviour." The magic was bubbling inside her but it was weak, like a kettle before boiling; heating up but still powerless to hurt anyone.

Zelena looked her up and down with menacing eyes that were darkening by the second; she was barely a five meters away from Emma now.

"The Saviour, huh," the redhead smirked, moving her hand upwards in the motion she had seen the former Queen do hundreds of times.

"Get out of my way."

There was a gasp, and before Emma knew what was happening, before she had time to summon her magic to the surface enough to retaliate, she was thrown across she street with a level of strength she hadn't even known to exist. She landed painfully on the curb, the concrete under her back winding her. Some of the Storybrooke residents were running now; if their Saviour couldn't stand up to this woman then who could?

Charming detached himself from the group and began to run towards her but Emma jumped to her feet mere seconds later as she heard Zelena's silky smooth voice hit the airwaves again. Her feet were already moving underneath her as the redhead spoke.

"Ah, sis," she paused, "how wonderful to meet you again. Nice to see you brought your lapdog with you. Adorable."

Emma watched from the side as Regina moved at a measured pace out of the crowd. She held her hands up only slightly, signifying to Emma that she was ready to fight whenever, but not threatening her sister too much after the show she had just put on. Her heels clicked against the road slowly but surely as she looked into Zelena's eyes with nothing other than pure hatred.

"You obviously didn't get the memo dear…" Regina smirked her infamous smirk, her mouth rising at the corners as Emma watched, waiting to see what was going to happen next.

"…Black is my colour."

If it had been any other situation Regina's tone of voice probably would have turned Emma on, but she forced herself to focus on the situation at hand as she crept back around the large group so she was standing behind the majestic brunette, who was still advancing on her prey.

"You should be wearing something less chic…Green…Brown perhaps?" she mocked.

Zelena's face contorted in anger as she took another step towards her brunette sister, "Well, maybe Mother should have taught you share, Princess."

That made Regina angry, so she responded with a growl in the only way she had ever been taught.

"Our mother clearly didn't want me to share," she disparaged, "otherwise she would have allowed you to be part of our family in the first place. She was ashamed of you."

Zelena's eyes noticeably dropped at this statement, if only for a few seconds, and the Mayor internally rejoiced that she had found her enemy's weakness; their mother's love. The woman hardened her face considerably before she replied to her sister.

"So you admit we're sisters?"

"I admit nothing. Cora was my mother, and she was yours. I was and will forever be an only child. You are no sister of mine."

Emma stepped forward minutely, she was watching the altercation, waiting for the moment when Regina might need her help. Emma quickly thought how happy she was that Henry wasn't here tonight. The brunette's last comment awoke a new level of anger in the witch, so Emma held her hand up in defence, pulling her magic to the surface of her skin, but it was no use, nothing would come, and she wasn't strong enough anyway. She wished that there was some magical way she could help Regina, the blonde had always been overly protective of those she cared about and this was no exception, but Regina was on her own. There was nothing Emma could do.

"You bitch!" Zelena yelled, catching Regina off guard and sending her careering into the group of people stood to her left. Before she even rose from the ground Regina expelled a ball of fire from the centre of her palm that whooshed towards her sister, crackling, and there was a number of frightened screams from townsfolk. The fireball caught Zelena's hat where she ducked and knocked it clean off her head into a burning pile behind her.

Regina raised herself to her feet and began to walk calculatingly back towards the woman in front of her.

"So thats what this is all about?" The former Queen asked earnestly, "Mummy dearest abandoned you and you're here to exact your revenge on me because… why?" Regina asked angrily, "because I got to put up with years of her torture? You were lucky."

The witch walked up to her swiftly and stopped just in front of her face, her eyes boring into Regina's even though they had a significant height difference.

"You got everything I should have had. She chose you over me, they all did. You were the most powerful Queen that ever lived, second in power only to your mentor, Rumplestiltskin. And you threw it all away for this?" She gestured around her at the town and it's people, the majority of which had fled the scene at this point.

Regina was stunned and she let her mask slip ever so slightly for a laugh to expel from her mouth. "You're jealous of me? Really? You have no idea how hellish my life was," she answered with a sneer.

"See!" Zelena answered, her already green eyes clouding with effervescent emerald smoke, as if she was being over-taken by the green-eyed monster herself, "You take it all for granted! You had everything. Everything I ever wanted. So now, I'm going to take it all away. Your town, your family, even you. I'm going to make it so you were never born," she grinned with mirth, "and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"Oh I think there is." Regina replied, summoning another fireball to her hand. But this time, before she could throw it at her target, it evaporated into green smoke.

"I'm more powerful than you can ever be, little sis, and that I know for sure," she gloated as she fingered the gem resting on her pale chest.

Zelena raised her hand and gained a magical chokehold around the brunette's neck. Emma looked on helplessly as her son's mother was raised into the air, battling for breath. She flailed under her grip, but there was nothing she could do to break free. No power she could wield which could overcome Zelena. Emma could almost feel Regina's struggle inside herself, feeling her own windpipe closing from the crushing hold. She could feel the panic, the fear, something which she had never even considered the brunette would feel in battle. But now she knew. She didn't know how, but she knew. Regina looked at Emma ever so quickly, so quick that the blonde almost didn't catch it, before she was thrown viciously to the ground.

Zelena cackled and raised her arm up as Regina pulled her body out of it slumped, slow moving form on the ground and back onto her feet. As soon as she was steady, the vice-like grip around her throat returned and she was pulled into the air then smashed onto the ground again like a rag doll. The witch repeated this over and over again, each time Regina's petite frame hit the concrete with more force. Emma's heart was beating like a drum inside her chest, her eyes watering from the strength it took to stand there and watch the woman she had come to yearn for be hurt repeatedly. All she wanted to do was run to Regina; pick her up and take her home and make sure no one ever hurt her again, but instead she glued her feet to the ground. If the worst was to happen, Henry losing both his mothers wasn't an option.

Charming and Snow held Emma's hands to stop her from running to Regina's aid. They could see from her shaking form that she needed help restraining herself.

As the brunette pulled herself off the ground one final time she attempted to fire the last remains of her magic at Zelena, but failed when she was yet again paralysed. This time however, instead of throwing her to the ground Regina's sister raised her higher and higher in the air until she was suspended above the remaining spectators watching.

Emma's heart was pounding in her chest as she watched her son's mother, limp and helpless in their enemy's grasp.

"See you soon, sis," the witch said maliciously as she used all the strength within her to propel Regina through the air. The witch disappeared in a huge fog of bright green smoke as the brunette sailed through the air, gaining altitude. The blonde watched as the brunette's body collided with the clock tower window. The shattering of glass could be heard halfway across the town on this otherwise silent night in Storybrooke. Emma went into overdrive.

She ran so fast that she could barely feel her legs moving underneath her. It was like those times in her foster homes, when her brain would just switch off and her body act of its own accord. All the background noise, crying townspeople, her parents yelling at her, it was all a haze, a blur of sound that all merged into one. _All that maters is Regina_ , she said to herself.

The library door was yanked open and the Saviour took the steps three at a time. By the time she reached the top of the rickety wooden staircase Regina was coming to, lying in a heap on the ground, groaning. She was slumped against the bannister, which she had obviously been thrown against before sliding down it.

"Regina!" Emma yelled as she launched herself up the last few steps and landed on her knees beside the brunette.

The brunette through strained lungs.

"Emma", was the whispered sound.

"Its gonna be okay. Its all gonna be okay," Emma repeated like a mantra to Regina as she quickly checked the woman over, ascertaining that there was no broken bones, but huge purple bruises were beginning to form around her throat, as if Zelena's hands had really been on her.

"The amulet...around her neck...it was in my vault," Regina chocked out, but Emma ignored her in favour of making she that she wasn't too badly injured.

"Shhh...We can talk about that later. Right now lets concentrate on getting you out of here," Emma answered.

The Sheriff touched her head quickly, noticing that there was a small cut and a large bump to accompany it. She picked her up off the floor. The brunette winced as the blonde touched her back and Emma reasoned that there would be a fair amount of damage to treat where her back had hit the glass, as well as bruising all over her body from being thrown onto the concrete so many times. Emma carried her carefully down the stairs, attempting to move as little as possible so to make the ride more comfortable for the woman in her arms.

As she appeared through the library door, carrying Regina through the threshold marriage style, Snow and Charming ran towards her, stopping just short of the pair.

"Is she okay?" they asked quickly, "Are you?" Concern was etched on her mother's face.

"I'm… fine…" Regina replied groggily, opening her eyes narrowly to look up at the Charmings, then at her Saviour. "Put me down Emma. I can walk."

Emma almost laughed, "Regina, you have a concussion. You're not walking. We should get you to the hospital," she said and took off in the right direction, largely ignoring her parents as they rushed along behind her.

Regina moved her head in towards Emma's chest and winced slightly from the movement. In her barely conscious state she inadvertently rubbed her nose along Emma's collarbone. Her usual white tank top allowed the blonde to feel the breath against her chest, slightly ragged.

"I'm not…an invalid," she replied disjointedly, "don't you dare take me to the hospital." Regina looked up and met Emma's green eyes with her unfocussed ones, "take me home."

Emma suspected that Regina had a pretty serious concussion, but not one to disobey the mayor's orders, especially when said Mayor was pressed against her chest being carried like a baby, she walked towards the Mercedes and carefully laid the brunette out across the back seat, lying on her side so not to damage her back any further.

"Aren't you taking her to the hospital? Its right there?" Snow asked, concerned as she stood next to her husband by the Mayor's car.

"No, I'm taking her back to the mansion," Emma answered as she walked around the car to get in the drivers seat, looking up at her parents and switching on the ignition, she continued, "can you guys take Henry tonight please. He's at Hansel's right now?" There was a hint of worry on her features. She could tell her parents didn't like this idea, and that they also didn't understand why she was caring for Regina, but she didn't care. Emma knew what it was like to be physically hurt like this; it had happened too many times to count, and she understood that Regina didn't want anyone to see her like this so she listened to the woman's request.

"Of course we can," David replied before being interrupted by his wife.

Snow huffed and looked at her daughter in such a mothering way the blonde wanted to be sick. "But Emma, really, this is a bad-."

"Just take Henry for me. And no funny business. I don't want him walking home on his own at god knows what time again." Emma replied with finality, looking back at Regina's semi-conscious form in the back.

Her mother looked embarrassed at that and silenced.

"We'll look after him, you look after her."

David slammed the car door as he replied and tapped the car roof, signalling that the blonde was good to go.

"Thanks, see you later," she said, glancing round once more at Regina before she pushed her foot down on the gas in order to get home as quickly as possible.

* * *

 

The pair arrived at 108 Mifflin Street mere minutes later. Emma pulled Regina’s car carefully into the drive. She knew the brunette was going to kill her for driving the Merc when she realised how they got home, but at this moment Emma didn’t really acre about that. At least she hadn’t scratched it. The car pulled to a stop and she immediately killed the engine and climbed out of the vehicle, swiftly opening Regina’s door. The woman was awake and as Emma tried to extricate her from the car without hurting her she tried to manoeuvre herself, sliding gracefully along the leather even when in major pain. Emma carefully helped guide her out and the brunette tried to free herself of the blonde’s grip and stand on her own two feet. She made it two steps, holding onto the car while Emma was shutting the door before she realised what the woman was doing.

“Uh uh,” the Saviour protested, “no walking. You have a concussion.”

Regina braced herself against the car, holding on either side of her body. She was wobbling; even if she could walk there was no way Emma would let her.

“Fine,” Regina grumbled, her face dark as thunder, “you may carry me.”

“Good”, Emma responded victoriously while she scooped the former Queen up again, the woman’s arms coming instinctively around her neck. She shut the Regina’s door with her foot and locked the car with the key that was still clutched between two fingers. She made her way up the path and stepped onto the porch.

Emma fiddled as she tried to move the right key into her grasp. After finally succeeding, she opened the door and stepped into the lobby, closing the door behind her.

She paused for a second removing her shoes, and as if reading her mind Regina’s low, pained voice drifted through the sound waves.

“To my room, please,” the brunette voiced reluctantly as she closed her eyes. She really didn’t like, nor was she used to being babied like this.

The floorboards creaked under their combined weight as Emma walked smoothly up the stairs. She turned a sharp right and stood in front of the second door on her left. Her firm grip on Regina didn’t leave her much space to turn the door handle, but she managed to do it regardless, and soon they stepped onto the plush ivory carpet of the mayor’s bedroom. They walked across the room in darkness as Emma headed for the bathroom, assuming that where the medical supplies would be. She flipped the switch with one finger of her left hand and the room was bathed in light. It was a big room, much larger than the bathroom in the guest bedroom that Emma currently occupied.

The brunette was sat gently onto the floor by Emma and leant against the tub with just the tops of her shoulders touching the porcelain. Regina opened her eyes, looking around and taking in Emma’s face now that she was stationary and didn’t feel so nauseous.

“First-Aid kit is in the right hand cupboard, painkillers in the left,” she said, croaking as she spoke again, the product of her sister’s magic clutching around her throat like steel. She coughed and continued in a slightly exposed yet stronger voice, “thank you Emma.”

The younger woman rifled through the cabinets and paused to look at several bottles more closely.

Regina heard the pills rattle inside her foggy brain and looked up as Emma turned around to reply to her.

“You don’t need to say thank you,” Emma said, trying to say it in a tone that would make the brunette believe it. It sounded like one of Regina’s courteous replies, but the blonde really meant it. She didn’t want Regina to say thank you. Emma felt like it was the least she could do, and besides, she wanted to do it.

There was a minute of silence whilst Emma gathered the final things she needed from the vanity. She wet a facecloth with hot water and filled a glass which was sitting by the basin with cold water, then knelt down next to her son’s mother.

“Okay,” Emma settled the supplies down next to her, removing the antiseptic lotion and bandages and some cream for good measure. “I’m gonna have a look at your head first, then your back. Drink this,” she said, handing Regina the glass. “Can you take your jacket off?” she asked politely, looking Regina in the eye.

“I’m not an invalid Miss Swan,” she repeated, sassing Emma even in her current state before taking a sip of the water. The blonde let out a short but melodical laugh.

“I’m sorry Regina, but considering I had to carry you up here, I kinda did have to ask,” she smirked cheekily, earning as much of an eyebrow roll as the brunette could produce at that moment in time.

“I could have walked,” the Queen grumbled. She sat up slightly, moving her hands to undo the buttons on her coat.

“Oh yeah, really,” Emma scoffed.

Once they were undone Regina reached up to pull the jacket off her shoulders. She struggled to get the arms down because it required bending her back, and not without a scathing look allowed Emma to assist her in removing the jacket, soon she was sitting in her tight black dress, heels still on, looking up at and waiting for the Saviour to move.

Emma jumped into action, embarrassed that she had been caught staring, especially in this situation.

“Sorry, uh, can you sit up for me?” Emma asked bashfully. She picked up the soaked washcloth and doused it in antiseptic. “And drink some more water.”

Regina moved her body forward and raised her knee to rest her head on, which obviously still hurt, to expose the cut to Emma.

There was a lump formed on Regina’s skull, not too big, but still noticeable underneath her hair as Emma parted it. The brunette winced from the pain caused by the Sheriff pulling her hair out of the way. The cut wasn’t terribly deep and Emma didn’t think it would need stitches, so she gently squeezed the cloth to release warm water, which trickled over the cut. She dabbed it several times, getting the blood off. The blonde continued in this manner, rose up on her knees, one hand resting on Regina’s shoulder delicately.

“Gently, please,” the brunette quipped at one particularly painful sting of the ointment.

The Mayor winced several times as the process continued, but the blonde was gentler now than before. The infamous Evil Queen was secretly a big baby, Emma thought to herself, not that she dared to voice that thought, ever. Maybe she was just complaining for Emma’s sake. When she was satisfied that it was clean enough, she placed a medium-sized bandage over the top and sat back on her hocks.

“Now…” Emma said awkwardly, wondering what she was expected to do in this situation. She couldn’t access Regina’s back enough to clean her wounds, but she didn’t want to just go and outright ask the mayor to undress. Not after… but then she remembered that Regina still didn’t know what has transpired between them the other night.

“Oh, “ Regina replied, as she looked up from her spot on her knees. When she realised what Emma was asking of her blurted out, “you know I can do this on my own Emma, really.”

“Not that I want to ask you to undress or anything, “ she laughed nervously, “but…you really can’t Regina. I think you have glass in your back. I’ll take care of it.”

“If you insist,” she span herself round ninety degrees so she was facing the wall in front of Emma and removed her dress from her shoulders, exposing her the expanse of skin and the back of a black lace bra as she did so.

Emma set to work in silence, partly because she knew this was awkward for Regina too and the woman would want to get this over with, and partly because after their kiss the view she had right now, and others much more revealing, had been crossing her mind more than several times a day. Again she braced her hand on the brunettes shoulder and dabbed gently at the cuts on the brunette’s upper back. They were all mostly minor abrasions, Emma worked her way down and found a small piece of glass embedded in the previously perfect area of Regina’s lower back.

“There’s a bit of glass in your back, this is gonna hurt okay?” Emma asked Regina, who nodded her approval and lowered her head back down to her knees.

“Okay,” the woman verbally responded.

Emma slowly and tenderly pulled the shard out of the woman’s skin. A small amount of blood followed, and the blonde dabbed it up with the cloth that was still in her hand.

“Ouch,” Regina moaned, sucking air in through her teeth as the woman fixed a small bandage and then attended to the remaining cuts.

Emma stood and put the blood-covered cloth in the bin, the first aid kit back in the cupboard, and spoke.

“Good as new,” Emma said leaning back on the sink as the woman in front of her made herself decent again and pushed herself off the ground to sit on the toilet seat.

She smiled gently as the brunette, who smiled very minutely back. Emma knew the fight had taken its toll on Regina, but the woman looked drained; emotionally, and magically, as well as physically.

“Thank you Emma, truly,” the former Queen said as tired chocolate eyes locked with bright green ones.

“Really, its no problem. I’m glad you’re not too badly hurt,” she replied nonchalantly. She handed Regina the bottle of painkillers, “you can take these now. They’re gonna knock you out though if you have them on an empt stomach”

“I’ll take one in a minute, and thank you all the same.”

And awkward silence pervaded the air. Neither woman knew quite what to say.

Emma broke the stillness, “Uhhh… I guess you want your privacy to like, change or whatever. Do you feel up to something to eat? I can go grab you something?”

Regina’s eyes sparkled slightly at Emma’s thoughtfulness though her face remained stoic, “Yes, that would be great, thanks.”

“I guess I’ll just be going then,” Emma moved towards the door. She stepped out into Regina’s bedroom but slipped her head round the door once more before she left.

“You’ll be alright, yeah?” She smiled.

“Yes, Emma, I’ll be alright,” Regina laughed, a small smile spreading across her face for the first time that evening.

 

* * *

 

Emma returned fifteen minutes later. She knocked politely on the door to the Mayor’s room before she entered with grilled cheese and cocoa on a tray in hand; Henry’s favourite things when he was ill or well, anytime really.

“Come in”, she heard Regina say from behind the closed door. On entering, Emma saw that the brunette was now dressed in silk pyjamas, sitting in bed propped up against the headboard, reading a book.

“Thank you,” Regina said as Emma sat the tray down next to her. She laughed. “Grilled cheese and Cocoa. You must think I’m Henry.”

“No, I don’t think you’re Henry,” Emma smirked, sat on the edge of the bed, “I just thought it would cheer you up…or something…plus its basically the only thing I can make” she stuttered.

The slightest hint of blush spread over Regina’s face. She had never had anybody do something ‘just to cheer her up’ before. Other than her physical ailments, there didn’t outwardly appear to be anything wrong with her, but she sensed that Emma knew better, knew that it wasn’t just the bump on her head and the cuts on her back that were hurting. She didn’t know what to say in response, so she simply picked up one half of the sandwich, biting it daintily, and offered the other half to the Saviour.

“You should eat it all,” Emma said, not often one to turn down food.

“Really, I’m not all that hungry,” she answered, “You have it.”

Emma looked at her, raising her eyebrows as if to ask if Regina was sure before she picked it up and chowed down, the whole sandwich gone in five seconds flat. The former Queen shook her head at the blonde disbelievingly.

They continued in comfortable silence, Emma still sat on the opposite side of the bed. Her legs were now crossed as she sipped her cocoa slowly, savouring every mouthful. Regina finished her sandwich and politely took a sip of her cocoa too, allowing the taste to slide deliciously down her throat. She didn’t often allow herself to indulge in her son’s favourite treats.

“Did you take some painkillers?” Emma asked. She thought she should probably leave, that the brunette was getting sick of her just hanging around and being annoying, but something inside herself wouldn’t let her be dragged away.

“Yes, I took one about ten minutes ago. I’m feeling rather drowsy now,” she replied, placing her mug on the bedside table.

Emma realised that was probably her cue to go so she excused herself to clean up the dishes.

After changing into her pyjamas she tried to stop herself but couldn’t. Before she went to bed she decided to check on Regina one more time. She padded silently up the stairs, the carpet soft on her now bare feet, and walked along the landing to Regina’s chamber. The blonde pushed the door open lightly and noticed immediately that the other woman had fallen asleep before she could turn the light off. Her son’s mother was now curled up in a ball on her side.

The blonde tiptoed carefully across the room, attempting not to wake the woman up. She made it silently to the other side and switched off the bedside lamp with a click. The room was plunged into darkness, the only light coming from the hallway downstairs. As Emma crossed back to the door a groggy voice made its way through the darkness.

“Emma?” the half-sleeping half-drugged brunette asked softly, her hand flopping off the side of the bed as if she was trying to get the blonde’s attention.

“Regina,” she replied, turning and walking towards the woman who was lying facing the door until she was only a foot away from the bed. “Are you okay? She said softly, “Do you need anything?”

Emma leant down, crouching slightly over the woman’s body as she spoke.

The brunette’s hand reached out blindly towards the source of the voice, until it knocked against the soft flesh of Emma’s hand. The brunette gripped it limply, running her thumb over the blonde’s palm.

“Emma…please…” she attempted, trying to push the words out through her drug induced haze, as she fingered the younger woman’s hand in her own.

“Please what, Regina? What do you need?” Emma asked, slightly concerned now, her free hand subconsciously reaching out to rest on the edge of the mattress.

There was a tug at her fingers, hesitant but there as the brunette said her next words, words that sent both shock and a feeling of pure warmth through Emma.

“Stay…” She pulled softly at the blonde’s hand again.

Emma didn’t know what to say, but if she couldn’t say no to Regina when she didn’t want to go to hospital, she sure as hell couldn’t say no to Regina when she was asking her to get in her bed.

“Okay…” Emma said warily, _there will be hell to pay tomorrow but_ “Yeah I’ll stay.”

Almost immediately the blonde’s hand dropped out of its warm counterpart, as if the woman knew her task had been achieved.

Emma walked silently to door and shut it before making her way to the other side of the bed and sliding in. It was the best bed she had experienced in well, ever. The pillows felt like clouds to rest her head on. The duvet felt like the snuggliest of jumpers on the coldest winter day. And if that wasn’t enough, the fact that Regina was lying in it next to her topped it all off. She laid her head to the side, looking at the shadowy form of the other woman underneath the covers. She desperately wanted to glide over and wrap the woman in her embrace, but that would be too far, so instead she settled for reaching her hand slightly further out in front of her as if Regina would sense the comfort regardless.

Minutes later, when Emma was on the brink of sleep, she felt the mattress dip in front of her and heard the movement of the covers against silk as the older woman rolled in her sleep. The brunette stopped facing Emma, her hands moved up to grip the pillow and landed mere millimetres away from the blonde’s own. Emma listened for several seconds to Regina’s steady, even breath before she allowed herself to drift away again. She was so close to unconsciousness that she barely registered a warm, soft hand slip around her own and hold on for dear life.


	13. It Can Only Be Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> Hey guys! I hope you’re all having a great Sunday. This chapter is the fallout from the fight and a few other things. I kind of intended this to give some answers to things that have been happening but all I’ve really succeeded in doing is creating more questions. OOPS. All will be revealed soon (ish), I promise. As always reviews are appreciated and constructive criticism is welcomed! Thanks for the views, follows and favs. Happy reading!  
> Rosie xx  
> (I do not own Once or any of the characters, no copyright intended).

The world began to permeate Regina's sleep. Beyond her closed eyelids the room was light, sunshine breaking its way through the translucent curtains. She inhaled the peaceful air around her and turned her face back into her pillow momentarily. She wasn't usually this reluctant to rouse herself for the day. It was then she remembered, through the snug, dreamy, fog that had been taking residence in her brain that last night she had fought Zelena, and lost, badly. Her mind went on a rampage for all of three seconds before she realised that there was a warm, soft form pressed tantalisingly against her back and delicate breath tickling the back of her neck. She froze.

 _Who is that? Emma? What is Emma doing in my…Oh, God._ The brunette remembered the state she had been in last night, the way Emma had taken care of her. _Oh, Emma._ She allowed herself to feel everything for just a second, the blonde pressed so deliciously against her, it was like nothing Regina had experienced before. There was a hand loosely draped over her stomach, a face buried in the tangle of brunette hair behind her. She felt the movement of the woman's chest against her back.

Suddenly the Mayor realised what she was doing and carefully but quickly extricated herself, peeling the arm gently from around her, albeit reluctantly, and moving away from the sleeping woman in her bed. Emma grumbled lightly and rolled around to face the other direction. This prompted Regina to see the pill bottle on the side of the table.

 _That explains her presence in my bed then I suppose,_ she thought. _In my drugged up stupor I probably asked her to stay or something equally as ridiculous. But even if I did ask her…she actually stayed?_ Regina questioned, brushing it off by telling herself that she must have been very insistent. That it couldn't have possibly been because Emma wanted to be there, no, that wasn't a possibility at all.

The brunette watched the woman in her bed for a while; the way her back rose and fell softly with her breath, her long blonde tresses fanned out across the pillow. She pulled herself out of her daydream and headed to the guest bathroom, conscious not to wake Emma up.

As she walked silently across the room she realised, bizarrely, that she was not in pain. She raised a hand experimentally to her head and felt that the large lump from the night before had miraculously disappeared. Experimentally she wiggled and flexed her back muscles as she walked down the hallway. Nothing. Regina had never been able to heal herself from an ordeal such as that. When subjected to her mother's violence as a child she had been protected by a spell which prohibited the marking of her skin, and she supposed that may have lasted somewhat into her adulthood, but not this long. Last night she had been covered in bruises and scrapes; she hadn't even been able to cure herself of a hangover several days ago, let alone fix this. However she had awoken feeling light, rejuvenated, and still did. Even now she could feel a strange fullness within herself that made no sense after the draining battle last night. Like molten gold running through her veins…Like…

_No, that's impossible. Her magic. It's not strong enough for that. It can't be._

The more she thought about it, felt it, the more the former Queen realised that the magic which had healed her had not been her own. Many skillful practitioners of magic could feel the power of others. Each Sorcerer or Sorceress had their own magical signature, in the way that Regina's magic was purple and Zelena's green. The air around her sister's magic felt rancid and suffocating, it smelt like a damp, toxic swamp. She had once been told her own magic felt crisp, stinging, and rich, and that it smelt like apples and permeating darkness. The magic inside her at this moment however was like liquid silk coursing through her body, shades of brilliant white and shimmering silver pulsating through her nerve endings and touching every part of her darkened soul. She imagined it would smell like vanilla and the woods on a beautiful sunny day. It was Emma's magic. Of that she was certain.

 _She can't have known if she did do it,_ Regina reasoned, _her magic can't heal someone yet, especially someone with dark magic like me. Unless… No. No, that can't be it. That means…_

The brunette did have one thought, but it was so absurd, so completely ridiculous that she couldn't even fathom it being true. She didn't even want to think it because she was starting to think that it was the one thing that she truly wanted, and nothing she ever wanted became a reality. Nothing ever worked out for her. _Remember_ , she told herself, _villains don't get happy endings_.

Regina had been so lost in thought she had walked to the guest bathroom without even thinking about it. She began to undress as she turned on the shower. She tried to forget about her previous train of though, yet she spent the entirety of her shower either thinking about Emma Swan or trying not to think about her. When she was finished she headed back up to her room to get dressed, Emma was still snoring soundly in her bed and Regina didn't have the heart to wake her. However, after dressing in the bathroom and putting on makeup Regina returned to her room to find the Saviour, her Saviour, rousing from her sleep. The blonde looked up at her with guilty eyes, still half closed from sleep but as soon as she realised where she was she flew into action; legs scrambling out of the covers as she pushed herself from the bed.

"Regina, oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

The brunette stopped still and let out a laugh at Emma; hair ruffled, t-shirt pulled down over one shoulder in her hurry to extricate herself from the covers, she looked down slightly; if the blonde hadn't known any better she would have said that the woman was nervous. She thought she saw a hint of blush on tanned cheeks.

"It's fine Emma, really. I apologise for last night…" She trailed off.

"No I apologise, I shouldn't have stay-"

"No it was all me, I shouldn't have asked," Regina responded, uncharacteristically bashful, "I did ask…didn't I?" She looked anywhere but at Emma.

When they made eye contact the blonde's eyes were soft but with an air of self-consciousness in them, she fidgeted under the gaze.

"Yeah, yeah you did. I hope it was okay…You were kind of out of it. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good, thank you. Better than I expected…" For a second Regina contemplated coming clean, telling Emma that she had been healed by some never before heard of feat of magic on the blonde's part, but quickly she realised that there was no point in telling Emma something that she didn't know for sure. She didn't want to lie, but at this moment in time did she really have a choice? "My healing must have kicked in somehow, I feel rather like I wasn't thrown through a window last night which I suppose is definitely a positive."

She also decided that it was better not to let the woman know that they had awoken in each other's arms. Emma knew she had slept in there last night, she wouldn't anticipate that Regina had had to extricate herself from Emma's comforting embrace this morning. _Ignore it_ , Regina thought, _it never happened_.

Emma smiled in response, "Well uh, that's great. I guess I should go and shower and stuff…"

"Yes, of course, I will put coffee on," Regina attempted to move around and grab her phone from the bedside table but the blonde also moved in the same direction and they began an awkward little dance until Emma cleared her throat and stepped around Regina entirely.

"I'll uh…see you in a bit," the Sheriff professed as she left the room, glancing back behind her with a delicate smile.

* * *

 

It wasn't much long afterwards that Emma entered the kitchen, freshly showered and dressed in black skinny jeans, boots and a grey vest with her red leather jacket slung over her arm. She watched Regina from the doorway for a millisecond before the woman looked up, baffled by the fact that less than 12 hours ago she had to carry her in her arms through this house and now she had returned to her usual majestic self. Emma noticed though that there was something even more radiant about her today. It was like magic. _No_ , Emma thought, _It was magic_. The brunette was glowing, flawless. Not that she had any flaws anyway, but regardless something was different; it was amazing.

Warm chocolate eyes looked up at her, glittering with something that couldn't even be translated into words. Emma helped herself to coffee and sat down on the island across from Regina.

"I forgot to mention," Emma began, "last night when we were in the clocktower you said something about Zelena's amulet? About it being in your vault? I didn't know if you'd forgotten."

A look of realisation crossed the brunette's face. "That's right. I had forgotten." Regina became very serious all of a sudden and it worried the other woman deeply.

"Emma. That amulet was in my vault for a reason. It was originally Rumple's, passed down to me when I became his student. It grants the wearer immunity to absolutely any magical spell and binds to their magic, making it essentially impossible to remove. With it, we can't do anything. We can't hurt her at all. The only way we'll be able to defeat her is if we get it off her somehow."

Emma breathed out a long, strained sigh, "Shit Regina. So essentially we're screwed?"

"I would put it more eloquently than that but yes Emma. Essentially, we're screwed."

They were silent for a minute, contemplating the implications of their discovery when Emma had an idea.

"Wait, if we can't do anything to stop her, then why hasn't she just cursed us all and killed us already? It makes no sense."

Regina mused over the suggestion for a second. "Well, considering that she hasn't cast the curse already she must be missing some things she needs to cast it."

"So we need to find out what she needs, and once we've done that we can figure out how to stop her?" Emma asked, thinking that it sounded much easier than it was actually going to be.

"Yes."

"Well, today is going to be fun then isn't it."

* * *

 

Both women left the house and headed their separate ways; Emma out on patrol with Ruby, Regina to her office. Her Mayoral duties were essentially non-existent at the moment but it helped to go somewhere away from the mansion to think. She also wanted to speak to Gold. She had doubted going to him about how she had been miraculously healed, but she needed answers and figured that he was really the only person in a place to be giving them. Him, or Tinkerbell, but since their last encounter she determined that there was something not quite right about the fairy. Ulterior motives were in play; not that they weren't with Gold, but at least with him you couldn't expect anything different. She also thought it would be wise to speak with him about Zelena's necklace. It was his after all, and he would know how to remove it. She pulled on her black coat, soft yet tough on the outside and lined with black fur on the inside, perfect for the early spring day outside.

As she walked down Main Street she noticed the townspeople, continuing with their days as if their Mayor hadn't battled with a Witch in this very square less than 24 hours ago. The people of Storybrooke had always been very good at pretending that nothing had happened, when in reality and behind closed doors it was all they talked about.

One foot in front of the other, heels echoing melodically on the pavement, Regina walked past the florists. Soon she had arrived at her destination; Gold's Pawn Shop, the sign stared down at her. Ever confident the brunette pushed the door open with her left hand and stepped into the comforting gloom of Rumplestiltskin's cave of magical wonders.

The man in question was at the counter, back turned, donning his coat as the bell jingled. He immediately stopped his actions and turned around to face his incoming customer whilst pulling his jacket over his shoulders and smoothing the lapels with the palm of his hands. Belle also appeared from around the corner of glass cabinets, ever eager to help.

"Ah, Madame Mayor, good day. " he said politely before he glanced over at his girlfriend briefly.

"Rumple," she started, "ever the pleasure. And Belle, how lovely to see you dear." She continued, nodding in Belle's direction as she spoke. Swiftly she made her way up to the counter, her high heels the only sound in the otherwise silent shop.

"This very second I was leaving to seek you out, what a coincidence," he spoke, sickly sweet, his fingers moving in a wave as he tapped them on the glass softly. But what he said was not what he thought. Given the reason Rumple wanted to speak with the former Queen, the fact that she had come essentially answered any questions he might have had before he even heard a word out of her mouth. "Shall we move this into my office?" He asked, gesturing with his right hand.

"Yes, indeed," she stated cooly as she followed him through the archway and seated herself regally in the ornate chair that was placed in front of the desk. Gold sat behind the large piece of oak and leant back in his chair, resting his hands flat on the surface.

Regina spoke first. "Why did you have need of me?" she asked matter-of-factly, her eyes fixed on the man across from her.

Rumple clasped his hands in front of him as he spoke with feined courtesy, " No dearie, ladies first, you came to me after all."

Regina only just managed to hide a scowl from her face at the man's words. He was playing her, as he always did. She didn't expect anything otherwise. "You first Rumple. I insist." She said sweetly, but her face told a different story. Her eyes were slightly narrowed at the man in front of her, her full lips set like solid stone. "What is the nature of your enquiry?"

The dark wizard leaned closer to Regina, "It was intended to be a warning. But I am no longer certain," he said, making pointed eye contact with Regina as he spoke. "And yours?"

"A question. Or several, I suppose." she answered truthfully.

"Very well then," Rumple replied. He paused for several seconds and contemplated what he was going to say next. Regina was gazing upon a trinket to the side of Gold's head when he continued.

"I have reason to believe, dearie," he said smirking across at the Mayor, "that we seek to discuss something not altogether dissimilar. For this reason I am prepared to volunteer my information first, provided that you tell me the truth about what has occurred."

 _What has occurred?_ Regina thought. _Surely he isn't talking about…_ No matter what, Regina needed to know. She had no choice but to accept Gold's proposition.

"I will speak the truth," she said begrudgingly, "Proceed." Regina crossed one leg over the other and linked her fingers loosely in her lap.

Gold nodded acceptingly and began to speak. Regina's body was on edge.

"Initially, I had intended to seek you out to warn you of something. Yesterday evening, rather late, I was sitting here in my office when something rather interesting happened. Many of the magical objects in the shop starting moving, operating of their own accord. The magic was strong, unknown to me. At first I thought it was Zelena's curse but after further inspection I realised that it was not."

Regina was confused, was he going where she thought he was going with this?

"I had intended to notify you that there may be another player in the game," he said, his lips stretching upwards in a knowing smile. "However, your arrival here prompted me to change that view. Would I be correct?"

"Yes. I think so." Regina answered, but didn't say anything else. If she was going to give him this information he was going have to work for it.

"You think so?" he asked quizzically.

"Yes. That was the nature of one of my questions," Regina said, continuing to be mysterious. Her chest rose and fell evenly underneath her coat.

"So you wish to know…what exactly?" he prompted her to continue. This was too much of a waiting game for Rumple. He preferred to procure his information quickly and preferably painfully.

Regina stopped for a minute. She had to be careful about how she phrased her question. "I would like your word that this will not leave this room," she started, staring at him seriously.

"Naturally," he replied, "we wouldn't want anyone getting any ideas would we?" spoken slyly as he winked. But she knew that requests like this, when with Gold, need to be written in blood.

He nodded for her to proceed and she steeled herself for a moment before speaking. Nothing of this nature had yet been voiced aloud, no one, not even herself knew how she felt about Emma. And the last person on earth she ever wanted to confess her feelings to was Gold.

"Hypothetically," she began. _Wonderful, Regina_ , she thought, _so clearly its not hypothetical_. "Can a person with light magic use their powers subconsciously on someone with dark magic, even without training?"

Gold looked slightly confused, as if the cogs in his head were working to figure out what she was actually talking about. He leaned slowly back against the velvet cushion of his chair.

"No," he replied, "light magic cannot heal dark magic, only destroy it, under normal… circumstances," he eyed her.

"In what circumstances would light magic be able to, say, heal, dark magic?" she asked.

"Well, the only occurrences of such a thing I have ever encountered happens when the two individuals in question are related, or if they are each other's true love. There is no other way. Does that sufficiently answer your query, _dearie_?" he chuckled.

"Yes, it does. Thank you," she answered cordially. Before she could make a move to leave Gold continued to speak.

"So…" his trademark smirk apparent on his reptilian features, "The Evil Queen, healed by the Saviour, that is something quite remarkable, is it not?"

Regina was surprised, yet she shouldn't have been. She didn't think that he would know who she was talking about and she certainly didn't understand why he just assumed it was Emma, but then again there were no assumptions with Rumple. He knew everything already, he just determined the right time to reveal his knowledge.

"I suppose it is," she answered warily. She didn't to tell him any more than she had to. "How did you know it was Emma?"

"I didn't, not for certain, not until you told me right then. But I had a feeling, and she did whisk you off in a rather heroic manner last night. Has this relationship been happening since Miss Swan's return?"

"I don't know what you are referring to. There is no relationship, not of the kind you accuse, with Miss Swan and myself. That is why I was so confused by the occurrence," Regina tried to cover. It felt wrong lying about her interest in Emma. Something was happening but neither woman knew what yet, and Regina was inclined to keep it that way.

"You have…feelings for her?" he asked nosily.

"Our exchange has been fulfilled. I am no longer required to speak to you about this." She eyed him warily. He said he was unaligned, but information such as she had just divulged could be used against her by her enemy. The brunette rose from her seat and straightened her clothing quickly.

"Very well then, and the other matter?" He asked, having thankfully given up on probing Regina for the time being.

"The other matter concerns our resident witch," Regina confessed.

"I'm listening."

"I do not know how, but she appears, as you may have noticed, to have acquired the Amulet of Eoh. I believe this causes a problem for both of us. I, would rather like to get rid of this incessant woman, which is made impossible when she has this in her possession. And on your part, I do believe you are more than slightly against the thieving of your possessions, even if they were gifted to another."

"You would be right in that dear. This situation will have to be rectified forthwith. I do not appreciate being stolen from. Leave this problem to me, I will consult you when it is remedied."

Regina was suspicious to say the least and she didn't feel confident about not being involved in this process at all. But at that moment it was probably best for her to stay as far away from her sister as was physically possible in a town as small as this.

"Thank you Rumple, I very much appreciate your enthusiasm to help," Regina replied, "how very unlike you," she quipped. "It has been a pleasure."

"The pleasure is all mine," he bowed and extended his hand, which Regina shook before walking back onto the main shop floor.

"Good day, Regina," he called out from his place back behind the counter as she pulled the door open.

"Good day," she replied, not looking back.

Regina stepped outside and immediately the chilly air bit at her face as she headed towards her office again. She thought about what Rumple had said. The only way someone with light magic could heal someone with dark magic is if they were true loves. Regina was pretty sure she and Emma weren't related-related, but in this town who the hell knew. Everyone's family tree was a tangled web, spanning anywhere from several decades to several centuries. However she decided to overlook this because, dare she say it, it was the more improbable of the two.

She would have to tread carefully with this. Being true loves and actually being together where two completely different things and the latter wasn't something either of them were ready for right now. For all she knew Emma's love for her might be dormant, not yet realised by the woman herself. Taking care of Regina could have prompted a subconscious need to heal her because of their proximity to each other at that moment. Regina was grasping at straws, because there was no way she could ever envision the woman actually loving her back. That would be too much, more than she deserved, more than she could ever ask for from the blonde. However it seemed like the red string of fate had bound them together inexorably. All Regina wanted to do was melt into it, but it was going to be so much more difficult than that.

Part of her wanted to tell Emma, and part of her wanted to wait, to see how things would play out between them without being thrust together simply because it was their 'destiny'…not that she was sure she believed in destiny anyhow. The brunette, masochistically, wanted to draw it out. She had always loved the chase, but it was more than that this time. She didn't want to rush into anything with Emma because if she was really going to love again she wanted to cherish every moment. She wanted to live it all, appreciate it all, not ruin things before they even had a chance to get off the ground.

Regina was interrupted from her silent reverie when she turned a corner and was struck with the sight Robin Hood and Tinkerbell talking to each other. She hadn't been aware that they knew each other and for some reason it struck her with a deep feeling of deja vu. This had happened once before, when she met Robin the first time. She was certain that it was memories from the missing year, things that had already happened. She had been so preoccupied with asking Gold about Emma that she had forgotten something glaringly obvious. Tinkerbell's fairy dust had lead her to the man with the lion tattoo, yet just moments ago Rumple had told her Emma was her true love. Surely she couldn't have two true loves, so one of them must be incorrect, but the question was, which one?

It suddenly struck Regina as suspicious that Tink and Robin were talking as she watched from up the street, just out of their vision. Was it a coincidence that the fairy knew the man she had been lead to? Had they met here in Storybrooke this time around? Robin certainly wasn't in the town when she cast the curse so that was a plausible possibility. However something told her otherwise, and she most certainly needed to find the answer.

For now, Emma would be kept in the dark about their fate. Regina had more to contend with than she initially considered. She wanted to get to the bottom of whatever it was that she was currently watching before she addressed her feelings for Emma. They were the priority. The tall, rugged, surly-faced man with the lion head tattoo was nothing but a childhood wish for something happy in a life that at the time had been full of misery.

* * *

 

Sitting at her kitchen table, still revelling in her victory the previous night Zelena was more than surprised to hear a confident knock at her front door. She wondered who in this coward-pit of a town would have the audacity to just walk up to her front door and knock. It was then that she realised this may have been the visit she had been waiting for. She had purposely not sought the man out and had instead decided to wait for him to come to her. She had hoped, and now assumed she had been correct, that after displaying her prowess last night, as well as showing off something belonging to him, that he would make the decision to help her all of his own accord. The redhead didn't even bother moving from her seat and instead opened the door with a flick of her well-practised hand while continuing to sip on her steaming mug of tea. With her back facing the threshold it was only once she heard the front door shut quietly and the tell-tale tap of cane on the wooden floor that she knew he had entered. His calm and collected voice drifted through the air before she even had the chance to turn around.

"Good afternoon dearie," Rumplestiltskin said as he entered her vision. He walked round to the other side of the table and pulled out a chair, gently resting his walking stick against the table. "It is a pleasure to finally and formally make your acquaintance."

Zelena's chest filled with pride. She had expected so much of the first time she met her father, imagined over and over again what he would say to her and it was already beyond her wildest dreams.

"Rumplestiltskin," she dipped her head, eyes gleaming as she raised it again and looked back at him, "the pleasure is all mine, really. I have heard such stories about you, about your power."

"I'm sure you have," he replied nonchalantly, hands still on the table in front of him. "Yet I have heard very little of you. You have proved yourself a worthy adversary."

Zelena smiled. "I had hoped you would notice, I am thrilled that you think of me as such. Is there anything in particular I can do for you, any particular reason why you came?" grinning at him almost imposingly before having a realisation. "I do apologise, I am not used to hosting guests. May I offer you anything? Tea?" She asked as she pushed her chair backwards to get up.

"No, thank you. In fact, this visit is not so much about something that you can do for me, but rather about something I can do for you," he smirked. "I have some information that mat be of interest to you, something that may help further your…cause….so to speak."

Her father wanted to help her….help her. This was more than she had ever dared to imagine. Her face remained stoic and poised but inside she was elated.

"And what might that be…?" she asked cooly before being interrupted.

"Tut tut tut. Not so fast dearie." He ran a hand through his hair and laid it to rest on the surface of the table again. "Anyone who knows me knows that I do not give away anything for nothing, do not think that you are exempt from that rule," his eyes glinted as he continued, "but this is a deal that you absolutely do not want to decline."


	14. That Can't Be Good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Hey guys!
> 
> Happy Sunday! Today has been a very SwanQueen filled day for me, spent working out the tricksy plot-lines of this story. So. Much. Fun. This chapter continues on from Rumple and Zelena's conversation, with a little bit of reveal but not much. Rumple, after all, always plays a long game. However there is a little bit of plot unnecessary SwanQueen domestic fluff which makes all the confusion better. There were some great responses to last chapter so thank you for those, as well as the follows and favs. Comments/criticism is always appreciated!
> 
> Enjoy,  
> Rosie xxxx
> 
> (I do not own Once Upon A Time or any of its characters – no copyright intended).
> 
> P.S. The song they are listening to is El Cuarto de Tula by Buena Vista Social Club, have a listen while you read if you fancy.

It had only taken Rumple several minutes to figure out what he was going to do with the information he had gained and how he could use it to his benefit. There were several factors which came into play here and he wanted to keep the road ahead clear for himself for the time being which is why he decided to let the fates try and align themselves. He had always played with fate, and in turn he had been played by fate. Of course, he would dabble, but there were many ways in which he could tip the scale in his favour with minimal damage to himself in the long run. There was, as always, risk for casualties; but what he had learnt from this woman already was that she wanted to impress him. She was _flattered_ that he was making a deal with her and that gave him nothing if not an advantage, all things considered. Using this leverage all he needed to do was convince her of something. If she figured out what she thought was the right thing for to do by herself then she would in fact be doing something very gravely wrong. Suggestion and misinformation; two of Rumplestiltskin's favourite words.

"Of course not, Dark One," she replied to him, poised, "I am eager to hear your proposition."

"I'm sure you are. My offer is my information," his eyes glinted as his game moved from her eyes to her chest, "in exchange for your beautiful necklace."

She almost laughed at him. If he thought she was giving that up he was highly mistaken.

"And what might this information be regarding? You don't expect me just to had it over, do you?" She was offended slightly, did he think her stupid?

"No. I do not underestimate you, that is for sure," he played to her narcissism. "What I will tell you is something that may indeed be a game-changer for you. Or should I say, _someone_?"

"I am confused," Zelena responded after considering the implications for a second. "No matter who this person is, who I'm assuming you think has the ability to defeat me," she raised her eyebrows like a petulant child, "you forget that with this necklace, I am stronger than they are." Her anger flared up then. She hadn't expected her father to patronise her like this. "You insult me. I am not an idiot."

"You may not be an idiot dearie, but without the full picture you may as well be blind, there are forces at play which even you have not considered," he baited her, knowing that she wouldn't take it. That was the point. Her self-indulgence, that belief that she was the most powerful was in the end going to be her demise, and Rumple knew it.

Zelena weighed her options with a menacing scowl on her face. She was fuming. This was her plan and she didn't need him interfering in it or telling her that she hadn't thought of everything. She had. Even if she hadn't, she could figure it out for herself without having to sacrifice anything to get it; especially something so powerful.

"I'm afraid you do not have a deal, Rumplestiltskin, as much as I would like your help and your information. It comes at too high a price."

"Very well, it was _wonderful_ to see you Zelena," he said as he lifted himself from the seat and with a low tone and curling grimace continued, "I shall see you soon, no doubt."

Then Rumple was gone as quickly as he had arrived.

* * *

 

Emma wandered through the woods, Ruby at her side. Leaves and twigs crunched underfoot and a cold but not altogether unwelcome breeze rolled through the canopy of trees.

The blonde was dressed in her usual attire, hiking version. Comfortable fleece-lined tan boots encased her feet, housing warm hiking socks with tight black jeans tucked in. On her torso she wore a long sleeved white tank top with a tan leather jacket and a big grey beanie to top it all off.

The wolf had the afternoon off from work and had volunteered to help Emma on her search. As much as she appreciated the help she had been looking forward to taking a walk alone today. Her mind was running with a million different things that she needed to address, and she hadn't had much time to herself of late, something that she desperately needed to stay sane and on her game.

She was distracted, because wow, so much had happened in the last 24 hours. She was actually struggling to process it all, struggling to figure out what it all meant. Regina being thrown through the clock tower and what that meant for her; the necklace and what its implications would be; but mostly waking up in Regina's bed and what it meant for them. She just wanted this to be over so maybe they could have a chance to figure it all out. But as of yet there was a long way to go.

Emma still hadn't told Regina about their drunken kiss, and it was starting to gnaw at her. There was guilt in knowing something Regina didn't and it certainly didn't feel great to be keeping it a secret. After last night, the blonde was beginning to think that maybe, _maybe_ there was some mirrored feeling, emotion, whatever. She realised that the brunette had been fairly sedated but the pills weren't that strong, and Regina in some subconscious way would have known what she was doing, would have wanted to do that. She had wanted to ask the woman to stay, or ask her if she could stay, on more than one occasion. Whenever she was with Regina she felt this unexplainable feeling inside her. It was like the feeling she got when practising magic but less overwhelming, and all the time. Just bubbling lazily under the surface, drawing her towards the brunette like it made sense more than anything else in the world. Sometimes Emma stopped to think that maybe it didn't make sense but quite truly, Regina was in her head and she was never getting her out. The woman invaded her personal space and her personal life from the very day they met, it only made sense that she was now invading Emma herself as well. The funny thing was, Emma didn't want Regina out of her head now, in fact she wanted the very opposite.

"So..." Emma was interrupted in her thoughts Ruby's bored voice from a few meters behind her. They had only been walking for about twenty minutes and as much as Emma loved Ruby, she had a very short attention span.

"…What are we looking for again?" she continued sweetly.

Emma turned around to glance at her companion with an eye roll.

"Anything really. Anything you haven't seen before or which looks suspicious or you know…is surrounded in a cloud of green smoke," she japed and heard a laugh in reply from the girl behind. She turned again and raised her finger, tapping her nose.

"Use your snout," Emma said, sticking her tongue out.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." Ruby replied in a monotone.

They walked for several more minutes, passing through a clearing then back into the brush before coming across a muddy path. Considering how uninhabited this part of Storybrooke was it seemed strange to Emma that there were so many footprints along it.

Before Ruby even said a word Emma felt the girl perk up, her wolf senses going onto high alert, causing Emma's magic to come alive in her veins too.

"You mean something like that?" Ruby asked as she pointed her finger in the direction of a barn, only just visible through the trees. "It smells…" she tilted her head into the wind and inhaled deeply as Emma watched. "Like magic."

"Yeah," Emma retorted with a shiver, "It feels like magic too, and not the good kind."

The two women looked suspiciously at the barn. Emma suggested they get closer and they took off again, walking carefully down the edge of the footpath so not to leave their own footprints too. They advanced on the structure and made their way towards a shrub just inside the tree line with a clear view of what sat ahead. They crouched down behind it and surveyed the area.

In front of them was a large wooden barn. The dark old beams reached up high and were supported by a slightly dangerous looking roof. It didn't look like anyone had used this place in a long time. Well not until now. The presence of magic the blonde felt was strong. She had only experienced this feeling one other time: in Skull Rock, when Pan was trying to take Henry's heart. The magic there had been seriously intense. This wasn't as bad, but there was no doubt that something interesting had been happening here.

"It's definitely hers," Emma whispered to Ruby, "I can feel her power here. I don't think she's here though. It looks pretty empty and I can't hear any noise from inside. Shall we go take a look around?"

"Yes boss. Lets go," the wolf rose silently to her feet and waited to fall behind Emma and sneak towards the barn. Emma had her gun in her hand, defensively pointed out in front of her.

They walked around the whole building once until they found themselves back at the door. The blonde leant against the wood, gun in one hand, handle in the other. Ruby followed suit and waited as Emma gently turned the door and pushed it open. She pushed herself gun-first into the building and quickly flitted her eyes around to check and see if they had any company. When it appeared they didn't, she moved out into the open space of the main room and stopped as she saw the floor in front of her. Ruby stopped by her side and they gazed together in silence at the intimidating symbol carved into the ground. There were three circles one, above the other, with a long line through the middle of them all and two horizontal line at either end. Emma heard a whistle from next to her and turned to look at her partner.

"What in the hell is that," Ruby asked, dumbfounded.

"I have no idea. But it doesn't look good. We should probably get out of here," Emma said. She plucked her phone from her jeans pocket and snapped a few quick pictures of the symbol as well as the inside of the barn.

"Emma," Ruby whined, "this just got exciting!" She looked up at Emma with puppy dog eyes, "can't a girl have any fun around here?"

"Sorry Rubes, but you know its stupid sticking around here for too long. Its not like we can fight her ourselves," Emma reasoned, turning around and walking towards the door again with Red following at her heels somewhat miserably. "Plus, Regina would _killlllllll_ me. I need to let her know about this actually."

"I guess you're right," Ruby said as they walked side by side away from the barn and back in the direction of Emma's bug. "But anyway since when do you listen to Regina?" she teased with a smile, jostling the blonde's shoulder playfully.

"Uh-" Emma was just formulating her reply to that question when her phone rang. She shot Ruby an apologetic look and picked up.

"Hello," Emma answered.

" _Hello Miss Swan_ ," came the familiar sultry tone from the speaker in Emma's ear. She couldn't help but allow a small smile to break across her lips.

"Oh, hey, I was actually just going to call you. Patrol turned up something weird. Is everything okay?" she asked casually, trying not to look over at Ruby who was clearly trying to work out who was on the other end of the line.

" _Yes, everything is fine, thank you. I was just calling to say that Henry and I are already home, I finished early for the day so there's no need to pick him up. What did you find?_ "

"A barn, northwest, quite close to the boarder. It was chock full of magic and there was this huge thing carved into the ground, looks like its set up for something. I have pictures." The blonde looked over at Ruby who still seemingly hadn't figured out who Emma was talking to, though she could probably guess.

_"That sounds intriguing, maybe we can finally find out what she plans to do. We can do some digging tonight. When will you return?"_

"Umm, I have to go by the station to tell David and write this up, then drop Ruby at Granny's so I guess I'll be home in a couple hours?"

Ruby's eyes widened. She knew Emma was talking to Regina now and she was also shocked and excited that the blonde had referred to the former Queen's mansion as 'home'.

_"Very well, I shall see you then."_

"Yup, see you later," Emma answered.

 _"Goodbye,"_ came the final reply from Regina.

"Bye," the blonde said, a smile stretching across her cheeks even though she had specifically told herself not to do that. She replaced her phone in her pocket and glanced over at Ruby who was looking at her with sheer surprise.

"So where were we?" the girl asked suggestively, "Since when do you listen to Regina?"

Emma blushed and pulled her beanie forward onto her forehead. "Uhh…I guess since we're a team now, or something? We're in this together. And after Neverland…almost losing Henry. We've bonded I guess."

Ruby stopped walking and when Emma turned to look she was met with a face of absolute shock, complete with raised eyebrows.

"You…" Ruby carried on walking, "and the Evil Queen…a team? Bonding?" Emma got another shove from the girl next to her, who was smiling up at her with pure joy in her eyes. The wolf thrived on gossip. "I mean…I know you don't hate each other anymore and you haven't for a while but like, really?"

"Number one, she's not the Evil Queen anymore, number two, never say that again," Emma looked harshly at her friend who looked guilty under her gaze, "and number three…" she paused, thinking of the right words to say. What were she and Regina? How could she talk to someone else abut their relationship?

"…We're…friends. We help each other. We share Henry. Its nice," the blonde smiled up at the tall wolf.

"Nice?" Ruby looked aghast, but quickly softened her face, "Jesus Christ hell has frozen over…If you say so though. Just be careful. Have you told Snow?"

"Umm…what is there to tell?" she asked innocently and she pushed ahead of he companion and began to climb up the steep rise in the ground in front of them.

"Uh, duh, that you and Regina are friends? _Friends_ Emma this is a big deal!"

"Well…she knows I'm staying there, so she must know how much time I spend with Regina, right?"

Ruby followed Emma up the slope and fell in next to her when it evened out. Emma had absolutely no idea how the brunette had managed to trek through the woods with knee-high, high-heeled boots on, she never understood people's ability to walk in heels.

"I guess," Ruby replied, trying to put her statement in the nicest way possible, "but this is Snow we're talking about. She tends to be…oblivious to things she doesn't want to see."

Emma ran her hand through her hair and sighed, "You're right. But she did see me after the fight with Zelena…when I," Emma's brain caught up with her mouth, did she really want people thinking that her saving Regina had other implication? Even if it was just Ruby? "You know what don't worry about it."" She sighed, "parents are so difficult."

Ruby looked perplexed for a second, and Emma could tell that she was stopping herself from asking questions. In the end she chose the less personal response to Emma's statement. "Too right, having one Granny is enough for me. Speaking of the difficult parents part though… I think Snow is still trying to set you up with Neal. I saw them speaking in the diner the other day and Snow had that 'please love my daughter' smile on her face. I overheard your name too so just…watch out," she gave a wolfish grin.

"Thanks for the heads up Rubes. I appreciate it," she laughed. In all seriousness though, Snow and Neal were the absolute least of her worries.

Finally they made it back to Emma's bug, which they spotted through the trees. Emma dropped Ruby off at Granny's and swung quickly by the station to fill David in on what she found that day, and tell him to put guards at the barn overnight. She did't suspect Zelena would do anything this quickly, but they had to be careful. She assured him that she was going to speak to Regina and Gold and find out what this magical symbol on the ground meant. His consensus was that it couldn't be good. She filled in some paperwork and once it got dark headed home where Regina and Henry were waiting for her.

* * *

 

Emma stepped through the mansion's door after what felt like a long day of being the leader of Storybrooke's finest, even though she had only been away from the house for 6 hours. Walking had taken it out of her and the strange barn had been on her mind all afternoon, as well as the lingering magic that came back with her. She could still feel it on her skin. This whole magic thing was strange, Emma mused, but since when did she become so susceptible to it?

"Henry, Regina I'm back," she yelled as she slipped off her hiking boots and put them outside the front door, then shrugged her jacket off her shoulders and hung it up in the closet in the hall, just as Regina liked.

"We're in here!" Emma heard her son shout from the kitchen over the music. She could hear loud stringy guitars and timbales sweeping through into the atrium, accompanied by a flowing voice singing in Spanish.

_"El cuarto de Tula, le cogió candela._

_Se quedó dormida y no apagó la vela…"_

Emma heard as she made her way towards the source of the noise. She walked under the archway into the room and immediately a smile pulled the corners of her lips high up her cheeks. Regina and Henry were cooking, both in aprons, dancing around the kitchen. Henry was wearing a huge sombrero whilst attempting to roll out pastry and simultaneously swinging his rolling pin round in the air to the beat of the music.

"We're having latin night!" Henry shouted happily at Emma as he aided his other mother in the food preparation.

"I can hear," Emma smiled, glancing from her son to Regina, who was tossing pulled pork in a bowl with herbs and spices, "the food smells amazing, and I love the music. Its great," Emma said as she shuffle-danced across to her son and snatched the hat from his head.

"My choice of music," Regina conceded, "they're my favourite. And it seemed perfect for the evening. And Henry and I thought we should do something fun, after evening that has been happening." A small smile appeared across her mouth as she made eye contact with Emma. Their situation was getting more and more domestic each day, and everyday it made her smile just a little more. Especially after this morning when she woke up wrapped in Emma's embrace. Today though the weight of her discussion with Gold sat on her shoulders. Could what he was saying really be correct? As unlikely as Regina thought it was she felt more hope at that moment, staring at Emma, than she could describe. It was a foreign feeling for her and it made her uncomfortable, but there was something else; something that just pushed her towards Emma. She considered that it was simply the revelation of today pressing on her mind, and resigned to that fact for now through lack of a better idea. She knew the truth, really, but that didn't mean that she had to face up to it just yet. Because when she did, when they did, everything would change.

"We're having tortilla chips and homemade guacamole, chicken and chorizo empanadas, which Henry is currently preparing, and pulled pork enchiladas, I hope you're hungry."

"Of course I am," Emma answered, her eyes twinkly as she continued to stare at Regina. She couldn't take her eyes off the woman's face, slightly flushed from the warmth of the kitchen and the dancing, but beautiful and happy, given the problems which were currently pervading their lives. "You know me, I'm always hungry," she smirked, fingering a tortilla chip and earning herself a slap on the hand from Regina.

"What can I do to help?" Emma asked sincerely.

"I think we have everything covered here, don't you Henry?" the brunette asked the boy, who was now filling the small pastry circles with the pre-made mixture, and folding them around into semi-circles. Regina moved across the kitchen and opened the oven, placing the enchiladas inside to bake.

"Yup, I'm almost done" he said as he glanced quickly at the two women then continued his task.

"By the way Emma, we'll talk about your discoveries later," Regina whispered, trying to stop Henry from hearing, she didn't want to tell him about anything until she knew for sure what it was herself.

"Yeah, we will, after the kid…you know," Emma replied as she pointed upstairs.

"Indeed," Regina looked at Emma again who was sitting at the island, moving along to the music with the sombrero still atop her head. "You could always get us a drink, dear, something befitting the occasion?" she asked smoothly, her sleek tone expelling the words out of her mouth like music to Emma's ears.

"So you mean something….latin themed?" Emma snickered, "I think I can do that."

The blonde moved from her seat and fetched two glasses from the kitchen cabinet behind Regina, brushing her arm slightly against the other woman as she moved past, sending a jolt through both women's nervous systems.

"What are you going to make?" asked Regina while she finished putting the finishing touches to the Guacamole.

"Its a surprise," Emma grinned back at her, she knew Regina didn't like surprises. Emma rifled through the fridge, pulling a carton of juice into her arms and picking up a lime with her spare hand. She placed the ingredients and glasses on the worktop and left the room, returning with a bottle of tequila and a cocktail shaker. When she same back in Henry was by the stove placing his creations in the pan one by one to cook.

Emma turned around from her position and gazed at the ingredients she currently had. She looked over her shoulder at Regina and spied something on the worktop which she could use.

"I'm assuming you like spice?" Emma jokingly asked Regina, "considering you're put like 6 thousand chillies into that pork?"

"I do," Regina answered, turning to face the blonde behind her and leaning on the counter with her back.

Emma stepped forward and grabbed one of the jalapeños from the work surface, "can I use this?"

"I suppose so, I don't know how I feel about peppers in my drink thought Miss Swan," she taunted. "Do you need any help Henry?" she asked the boy who was conscientiously flipping the empanadas with a spatula.

"No, I'm fine thanks Mom," Henry replied, bouncing happily to the music as he cooked.

"I promise it'll be good Regina, you just wait,". Emma was now adding her ingredients to the cocktail shaker filled with ice. She slammed the boston tin on the top and whisked it into the air, shaking vigorously - much to Regina and Henry's interest - for ten seconds. The she carefully placed the shaker back on the surface and tapped the side of the tin with the edge of her hand to loosen it. She prepared two glasses with salt and lime around the rim of each and poured the mixture into them, ensuring that both glasses had an even distribution of jalapeños, ice and liquid. She took a sip of her glass first, to test, then offered the other container to Regina.

Regina looked on in interest as Emma handed her the glass, "There you go. Tell me what you think." Emma said.

The brunette raised the glass to her lips tentatively and took a small gulp, her eyes never leaving the blondes. The rim was salty on her lips, but the drink tasted nothing like Regina had imagined it to. It was tangy at first, then the tequila hit, then warmth started to spread through her mouth from the jalapeños.

"Its actually rather delicious. What is it?" she asked as she took another sip.

Emma smiled in victory, "its a spicy blood orange margarita," she said, taking a sip from her own glass as she smirked.

"Can I have one?" Henry asked innocently, earning a glare from both his mothers.

"No you certainly can not young man," Regina replied, but her tone was loving and he knew she wasn't angry. "How did you learn to make this?" Regina asked inquisitively. It was becoming more apparent to her that she knew little about Emma's past. She knew the outline, but she didn't know about the woman's experiences in any great detail and she was starting to wish that she did.

"I worked at a cocktail bar for a while, once you know the basics about flavours you can pretty much make up your own stuff. Looks like I've still got it." She laughed.

"Wow-", Regina started to say, but was interrupted by the oven buzzer loudly informing her than the enchiladas were ready. She immediately put down her glass and picked up the red spotted oven gloves, removing the tray from the oven.

"Okay Henry, will you take the chips and dip to the table? I'll plate up the starters." Regina continued.

"I'll get us plates", Emma said, ducking down to retrieve three dishes from the cupboard underneath the counter, where she was standing. She placed her and Regina's drinks atop the plates and carried them into the dining room where Henry was already at at the table, patiently waiting for his meal.

Regina entered with the two dishes and set them down in the middle of the table, soon all three were digging into their Mexican feast.

* * *

 

Emma and Regina were sitting on the floor of the study in the low lights from the lamps and candles scattered around the room. The blonde was lying on her front, chin touching the bottom of the large book while she looked straight down her nose to read the words. The other woman was leaning against the couch with her legs crosses gracefully and books surrounding her in all directions.

"Anything yet?" Emma asked Regina without looking up from the page.

"Not yet, you?"

"Nope." Emma flipped herself onto her back and held the book above her head. "Right," she turned to look at Regina, placing the book on the floor again and leaning on her elbow to prop herself up, "we have the symbol, that has to mean something. She told you at the fight that she was going to," Emma hesitated for a second, she didn't even want to think about what might happen if Zelena succeeded.

"You can say it," Regina interrupted sadly, "she said she was going to make it so I had never been born, which by proxy probably means no you, and definitely means no Henry. It has to be a pretty specific spell, and a pretty powerful one at that. Find some of the bigger, older looking books maybe. We might have more luck."

They trawled through book after book for several more hours before they got anywhere.

Emma stood up to stretch her legs and choose another book from the shelf. The one she chose was against Regina's instructions, very small but old, bound in black leather with red trim extended into swirling in patterns across the cover.. When she sat back down, she unconsciously moved closer to Regina who now had her legs tucked to the side and was leaning one elbow on the sofa behind her. Emma leaned her back against the couch and pulled her knees up to her chest, resting the book on her kneecaps and staring at the strange cover.

Emma fanned the pages through her fingers. Her mind wasn't made for this, she didn't have the attention span to read for hour upon hour like Regina did. As she flipped the pages again, pulling them with her thumb she glimpsed something near the middle of the book. She fanned slower this time, watching until the symbol made itself clear to her vision. She stopped on the page and grabbed the brunette's arm.

"I found it!" Emma squealed, pushing the book towards Regina's already outstretched hands.

"Let me see." She picked the Sheriff's phone from the ground and tapped the screen to expose the picture of what Emma had found at the barn. The symbol in the book was indeed identical.

Emma smiled up at the mayor hopefully and then pulled the book back towards her, and began to read.

 _"The time turner,"_ Emma read the title of the page. She looked up at Regina warily, he eyebrows drawing together in apprehension, her green eyes filled with worry. _"The time turner is one of the most notoriously difficult curses any practitioner of dark magic can produce. It can be used to shape, alter or reveal the course of time itself. Well, that doesn't sound great,"_ she interjected before continuing. _"There are three forms of this spell, each will achieve a different result. See below."_

She skimmed through the next paragraph which explained the history of the spell while making muttering sounds, and progressed to the part which detailed each of the ways to cast it.

"Which one is it?" She asked, looking up at Regina who had moved just slightly closer to her to get a better view of the book.

 _"Verus amor,_ " Regina read the titles, _"verum vitam, verum vindicta. Well she doesn't want love or life, so try that one,_ " she responded, pointing at the latter section.

"Okay. _Verum vindicta is used to alter the course of time in order to change the of one whom has done you grievous harm. It is not for the faint hearted. In order to cast this curse one will need: The symbol of the time turner carved into the ground, large enough that one person may stand in the centre of each circle, with grooves deep enough to hold liquid. Something belonging to one's own mother and father_ ," Emma continued.

"Okay," Regina said, "What else?"

Emma looks up at the brunette then back at the book in front of her.

 _"The ashes of a fire used to cast another dark curse_ , well I guess now we know why she had to curse you all back here. _An entire grove of hemlock to burn on the four corners,"_ she read, but then her face dropped.

"What is it?" Regina asked nervously, fiddling her hands in her lap and looking directly at Emma, "tell me."

"Uhhh… _A sacrifice_ ," Emma said disbelievingly, she had no idea why she still didn't expect the worst when it came to anything magical. She waited for Regina's go ahead before she read further. With a nod from the brunette she continued.

" _If the curse is being cast verum vindicta, then the sacrifice must be the heart of the thing the target loves the most."_ Regina expected Emma to stop at that but she didn't, _"The blood of the sacrifice must be drained into the time turner, infused with the magic of the parental objects and the poisonous smoke. Only then will the curse begin."_

Emma looked at Regina with raw emotion pouring from her eyes. "If she needs what you love the most to cast the curse, does that mean…?"

"Yes…", Regina said, removing the book from Emma's hand and placing it on the floor as deep, turmoiled yet angry chocolate eyes met panic-stricken green ones. Emma's now empty hand moved towards Regina's knee to rest lightly upon it.

"…It means she needs Henry."


	15. Abracadabra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> Hey guys!  
> I hope you've all had a good week, heres another (pretty long) chapter for you! Thank you as always for reading, reviewing and favouriting and all that fun stuff! I'm a little concerned that i've made things a bit confusing and that i'm not answering any of the questions you might have so if you feel like this please let me know! There's a little bit of Hood in this chapter (ugh) but i think you'll like it. A little warning for the chapter following this, there will be trigger warnings. Obviously i will detail them when i post the chapter, and it will only be for one chapter. If anyone is unable to read then i am more than happy to message you with the general gist of the chapter sans triggers so that you can carry on reading. Just let me know. As always comments and criticisms are appreciated a lot!!  
> Happy reading, enjoy  
> Rosie  
> xx  
> (I do not own Once or any of its characters, no copyright intended.)

"If you're not going to be able to pay attention, Miss Swan, then how do you expect to save our entire town from certain death?" Regina addressed Emma with distain.

They had begun their first magic lesson no more than 20 minutes ago and Emma was already driving Regina up the wall. After the revelation of Zelena's real intentions last night they had sent Henry off to school with his grandfather and two guards, ordered to stand outside the classroom at all times and escort him everywhere he went. He hadn't been best pleased with the idea but Regina and Emma had told him the truth about the witch's plan, that she needed him, and he solemnly promised both women that he would stay safe. He was so young, yet he had grown up to be wise beyond his years and this was what prompted them to tell him the truth; his awareness of the potential danger could only be a good thing.

"I don't know, _Miss Mills_ " Emma whined insolently, her blonde locks falling over her face, green eyes peering out from behind the haze of hair. "When you said we were having a magic lesson I kinda thought it would be a little more adventurous and a little less sitting in your dingy vault reading books in a language I don't understand," she grumbled.

"This is the basics Emma, without learning how to read this, you will never be able to complete spells to any level of proficiency, I assure you." Regina was annoyed with Emma, but she also found the blonde's inability to study slightly endearing, god knows why.

"I know I won't be able to but I really can't learn like this Regina. My brain doesn't work. Ask any teacher I ever had. They all gave up on me because of it," she said sadly, looking down at the book in front of her as Regina watched from the other side of the table.

Regina knew that Emma was trying it on to get out of reading, but she also noticed that there was a profound truth to her words. It made her wonder what Emma had been like in school, or what she was like as a child at all really. Regina felt sympathy for Emma, she knew the pain of people giving up, of people leaving. There was also part of her which still felt unwavering guilt for having caused Emma's childhood to be what it was. The brunette reasoned that they were more alike than anyone would ever know and that their upbringings, although as different as two could ever get, had seemed to give them a similar understanding of people, of the world, and of themselves.

"Well I will not be giving up on you, I can assure you of that," Regina answered too easily. She smiled a genuine smile at Emma, her eyes softening. "If you cannot learn this way, then we must simply find another way for you to learn."

Emma was shocked by the former part of Regina's statement; it was something that, on occasion, she desperately needed to hear and hearing it from the Regina was strange, yet it felt right. She may not have been used to people being on her side but she knew without a doubt that she had always and would always been on Regina's side. It was nice to know that the opposite was true.

"Really?" she grinned happily after recovering from the initial onset of emotions the words had brought and closed the book in front of her. She sat stock-still, awaiting further instructions from Regina.

"Okay. Let me see," the woman looked around her vault, thinking of things she could ask Emma to do. "We'll start off easy. Light that candle over there," she pointed to a large red candle sitting on one of the shelves to the left.

Emma concentrated fully on the candle for several seconds, she felt a heat build in her palms and did what she felt like was transferring the sensations from her body to the candle. Immediately it was alight. She smiled at Regina, pleased with her achievement.

"Yes!" Emma celebrated, "Whats next?"

"Next, I want you to open the book to the page you were reading before. Hands behind your back."

Emma dutifully placed her hands behind the back of the chair and stared at the book in front of her.

"Imagine the page number in your head and how the book would move in your hands if you were to open it," the brunette suggested, her own hands linked together on the table in front of her as she watched Emma with interest.

The blonde closed her eyes and pictured the page, 328. She heard the rustling of pages and the thick over of the book hitting the desk and when her eyes were opened she saw that she succeeded in her endeavour.

Emma smiled, "too easy Regina, come on, give me a challenge," she said as she smirked and raised her eyebrows.

"Oh so you want to step it up a notch?" the brunette's eyes glinted mischievously.

Emma looked at her with apprehension for a split second. Regina could tell that Emma wasn't as confident as she made herself out to be but the woman accepted regardless.

"Bring it." Emma replied teasingly, revelling in the light flirty banter between them but also concerned about what the other woman had planned.

They exited the vault, sealed it behind them and jumped into Regina's car. She drove them to the woods and once she had parked and turned the engine off she extended her hand across the car to Emma.

"Are we…" Emma tried to think of the right word, "poofing? To where ever we're going?"

"Yes dear, hold on tight," she answered as she clasped the Saviour's hand softly.

Emma glanced around her as they landed, still trying to get to grips with being transported magically from a to b. It made her insides feel like they were on the outside, as if someone had picked her up and shaken her around before putting her back on her feet. Emma looked around her, hand still clutched in Regina's. In front of them was a gigantic ravine, spreading twenty feet wide and stretching out as far as Emma could see. There was a rickety looking rope bridge leading a path to the tree-line on the other side.

Immediately Emma was on edge and she quickly released the brunette's hand, instead tucking her hands into her back pockets awkwardly. Regina brushed her already immaculate clothing off and turned towards the blonde, eyebrow raised.

"You said bring it," she jested, "so I'm bringing it." She looked at the Saviour standing next to her; Regina worried slightly about her idea, whether the woman could handle it, but the brunette knew that Emma would always be able to handle what was thrown at her and more.

"Okay…now I'm scared," the blonde admitted as she jumped nervously from the ball of one foot to the other. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" She gazed out at the bridge in front of them. Regina was throwing her in the deep end now, and she had a bad feeling about it.

"You will be fine," Regina assured her, placing her hand onto the blonde's shoulder momentarily as a gesture of comfort. "We know that your magic responds to your emotions, and therefore that you work well under pressure. So," Regina did her best to hide the evil face she knew was undoubtedly going to emerge, "Step onto the bridge. Into the middle."

It took a gentle push from the brunette's hand to spur Emma into motion. Her boots slipped on the damp grass as she walked down the small slope to where the bridge began but she steadied herself. There were two large wooden posts set deep into the ground to which the ropes were attached. Feeling the mayor's eyes on her Emma inched forward slowly, her foot now making contact with the wooden slats, held up only by rope. She moved along at a shuffling pace, stopping every few seconds to gauge how far she was from land until she finally stopped in the middle of the bridge and turned herself towards Regina's welcoming gaze.

"Are you ready?" Regina asked, getting increasingly nervous herself. A couple of years ago should would have been thrilled at the opportunity to put Emma in harm's way but these days she was feeling more like she wanted to pull Emma off the bridge and tell herself never to be so stupid again.

"Uh…yeah…I think so," Emma stuttered nervously. She looked up at Regina but as she did so lost balance and wobbled slightly. Her hands came down in a vice-like grip on the rope either side of her as she steadied herself, attempting to stop her legs from turning to jelly underneath her.

Regina smirked at her as they made eye contact. Emma knew that the brunette wouldn't hurt her but she was terrified all the same.

"Are you scared of heights, Miss Swan?" Regina's eyes gleamed at finally having found the Sheriff's weak spot.

"No," Emma replied, her voice wobbling, "what would make you think such a thing? Saviours aren't scared of anything" she laughed, but it was obvious that she was simply trying to hide her fear.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to Emma," Regina said seriously, taking a step forward to rest her hands on the wooden posts either side of her.

"No, I'm doing it," the woman replied stubbornly. She glanced down at the ground below her which was very, very far away, and had to steady herself once more. "I am not scared."

Regina looked at her incredulously, "I'm being serious Emma, we can do something else if you're not comfortable."

"Its fine. I'm ready. Just do…whatever you're going to do." Emma took up a defensive stance: her legs locked tight, feet stuck like glue to the wooden panels, hands holding onto the rope for dear life.

"Very well," Regina answered. If Emma had had time to look properly she would have seen the worry etched across Regina's face, the usual mask abandoned for this scenario. With a tap of her hands on the poles a jolt of magic shook through them and followed through the rope. Emma felt the surge of the former Queen's magic through her hands but only fleetingly, for the feeling was gone as quick as it had arrived.

Before the blonde could even ask what had happened she noticed the rope beginning to fray at the head of the bridge where Regina was standing. She looked behind her in a flurry and saw that the knots at the other end were beginning to come loose too.

"What the fuck!" Emma screamed, hands shaking, eyes fixed on the figure in front of her. "Are you trying to kill me woman?!"

The rope continued to fray as Regina replied and Emma began to panic.

"Of course I'm not trying to kill you!" Regina shot back defensively. "Thats the last thing I want." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them but Emma was too distracted by her current situation - eyes darting between the wood underneath her feet and the slowly breaking ropes - to pay much attention to what the brunette was saying.

"What am I supposed to do Regina? I don't know what to do!" She yelled, the blonde's eyes screaming for help as fear took over.

Several more stands of rope broke away and the Saviour started to hyperventilate.

"Emma, you can do this!" Regina yelled, forcing herself to focus on the knowledge that the blonde was capable.

"Do what! What do I do?" she shouted as the bridge dropped lower, and lower, and lower with each second.

"Just fix the bridge," Regina cried out, "and don't die!" she added. Suddenly she was losing faith in her own plan, maybe this really was a bad idea, maybe Emma couldn't do this.

 _No_ , Regina said to herself firmly. _She can do this. I believe in her._

Emma held her hands out, palms up in front of her attempting to summon something, anything to help her. She felt nothing.

"Thanks for the encouragement," Emma hollered. Trust herself to make a joke at a time like this. As she felt the bridge droop lower and heard rope pinging every few seconds she closed her eyes and tried again, focusing as hard as she possibly could to fix the bridge, to save herself.

"Focus Emma, you know what you need to do!" Was Regina's final call before the rope frayed and Emma went plummeting into the deep gorge below.

"No!" Regina screamed. She was silent for five seconds, waiting for Emma to reemerge but she didn't. "No! Emma, I'm sorry, I thought…" Tears began to pour from deep cocoa coloured eyes. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry." Regina felt her legs begin to give way.

 _Stupid, how could I be so stupid. She wasn't ready_ , "Ahhhhhhh!" the brunette yelled fiercely. She started to sink to her knees just as the air around her filled with the unmistakable crackle of magic. Regina could feel it in the air all around her, tingling against her skin. It felt so light she almost wanted to allow it to sweep her up into the sky and fly away with her.

"Emma?" she asked the thin air, straightening her legs back out and stepping forward towards where the bridge had once been.

As Regina stood and waited small pieces of wood started to rise up from the ravine, followed by bigger pieces, which began to form a new bridge at the opposite side of the gap. Shards of wood and pieces of rope began to merge together, creating a solid path. Just past the edge of the ground Regina began to see the unmistakable blonde tresses of Emma Swan, her head, then her face, her shoulders and torso.

"Emma!" Relief flooded through Regina's nerves as she realised that she had been right to believe in Emma, and that she should never for a second have doubted her.

Pieces of wood continued to move around her as Emma rose up from the gorge, a brilliant white smile stretching from one side of her face to the other. Her arms were raised high in the air, fingers stretched to the heavens. The bridge formed around her, slat by slat reattached to the rope from whence they came.

Regina wiped the wetness from her eyes and took in a deep breath. Emma was alive and powerful and gods she was beautiful when she had that smile on her face.

The blonde came to rest on her newly rebuilt bridge with the smuggest of grins. Regina couldn't help but reciprocate.

"Told you I could do it," she teased, stepping off the last rung of the bridge and onto dry land in front of Regina.

"You did no such thing!" the mayor shouted in reply, giving the Sheriff a slap on the arm for good measure. "I thought you were dead. Don't you dare scare me like that again Emma Swan, or I mean it. It will be the last thing you do." Regina's face said she was joking but her voice told Emma she was being deadly serious. The act of attachment set something off inside both women.

"Really though Regina? That was _insane_. It was amazing, but like, really fucking insane," Emma accused. "You just shove me on a bridge and make it collapse? Are you crazy?" she replied looking into Regina's still moist brown orbs with a smirk that she attempted to hide, but couldn't.

Regina looked guiltily back at Emma, "I'm sorry I…I wasn't thinking. I don't think I quite considered the potential consequences. I just didn't think about them because I knew you wouldn't fail," she said, the last part of her sentence coming out rather matter-of-factly. There was a warmth in her eyes that Emma wanted to melt into.

"How could you possibly have known that I wouldn't die?" Emma said exasperatedly.

"I don't know," Regina shrugged with a smile, "I just knew."

Emma took that answer for the time being. Using so much magic in one sitting had tired her out and she couldn't be bothered to argue. She also didn't want to question Regina's unfaltering commitment to her success, to her, in case it came out that the woman didn't really believe in her at all.

"So, how did I do? Do I get a grade?" she teased, changing the subject.

"Well, considering I only wanted you to retie the ropes, you get a B," Regina said resentfully.

"Retie the ropes," Emma tittered, "that was too easy! I built you a whole damn bridge, that totally deserves an A. _Miss Mills_ ," she poked.

"Fine, you get an A, with one letter grade deduction for scaring me half to death. So overall, a B. Happy?" Regina asked her as they began to walk back in the direction of town, Emma by her side.

"B+?" said a cheeky Emma, who nudged Regina with her elbow as they walked.

"Fine, B+," conceded the brunette. "In truth though, I am extremely impressed. You made great progress today, " Regina smiled. We can carry on practising at home. Lets go fetch Henry?" she asked.

"Sounds perfect. And thanks Regina, that really means a lot." Emma looked down at the woman next to her with a smile on her face. "I don't think I've ever had a teacher tell me they were impressed with me before. Even if you're not a real teacher, " she joked.

* * *

 

Zelena was out in the woods, preparing to gather another ingredient for her curse. She had almost everything she needed now, bar the boy. What Rumple had told her played on her mind. Forces at play that even she hadn't considered? In her head she had meticulously run over and over every detail of the conversation, every detail of her plan. He had told her that she wasn't seeing the big picture and Zelena hated nothing more than not being privy to everything, but she was struggling to see what she was missing. Regina was right where she wanted her; weakened and soon to be more weakened, with no idea, as far as she knew, that soon she would be separated from her son. She had the necklace which meant that no one, not even her father could compete with her magically. Her preparations for the curse were almost complete. Everything was going well, or so she though.

As she walked through the dense tree trunks she felt a peculiar feeling. It was magic, being used somewhere very near. Very powerful magic. The amulet around her neck pulled her towards it. Sometimes it felt like it had a life of its own, though usually the draw wasn't this strong. In her elation at retrieving the object and ticking another thing off her list she had neglected to realise that her knowledge about it and its power was minimal. Magic always came with a price and the more powerful the magic the bigger the price to pay.

Goosebumps prickled in a wave across Zelena's flesh and caused every last one of her hairs to stand on end. She channelled the ripples of energy, allowing the power of the distant magic to reveal itself to her. She pulled this power into her chest and allowed it to fill her up; the unwelcome feeling of someone else's magic inside her was tripled by the realisation that it was light magic. Immediately she focused her mind on moving towards the cause of this power and in a millisecond she was standing underneath a vast canopy of trees, roots and fallen branches littering the ground at her feet.

 _"No, Emma! I'm sorry"_ , an unmistakable voice broke the silence of the wilderness and directed her towards her destination. _I should have known, she thought, my sister and her pet._

Zelena crept forward towards the source of the noise. She arrived at the foremost line of trees just in time to see her sister, distraught, almost resting on her knees in the mud like a peasant. The woman's hands were clutched to her face, and even though Zelena had distinctly heard the woman calling Emma's name, the blonde was no where to be seen.

However, the sensation Zelena had experienced before returned, except this time with such immense power that he had to stop herself from falling over by bracing her hand on a large beech tree. As she watched the situation in front of her unfold she saw large hunks of wood rise from the gorge from below and into the air. There was an unmistakable crackle of magic from somewhere her view didn't quite stretch to which Regina had obviously noticed too, because she rose and peered over the ledge nervously, her hands visibly shaking. _Sickening_ , Zelena mentally grimaced. _But interesting….very interesting_. The emotions painted across Regina's face, even from afar, were visibly genuine and the witch was slightly shocked by the fact. She had known that the women stood up for each other - that was clear enough from the blonde's 'heroic' performance in the town square - but what she hadn't realised was that her sister obviously had some strong feelings for the woman.

Again Zelena thought back to her conversation with Rumple. Another player? Maybe this player wasn't someone unknown to her at all, just someone that she hadn't previously considered a threat. The Swan woman was the Saviour, yes, but the redhead had been under the impression until right this second that her magical abilities were somewhat limited. That, however, did not appear to be the case at all.

Zelena looked on as Emma Swan emerged from the gap, wind blowing in her hair, the aroma of magic surrounding her. She was strong, that was for sure. This caused a problem for Zelena: if the boy was both her sister's and this woman's son then procuring him would be significantly harder than she thought. She reminded herself that the necklace protected her from all magical threats but it couldn't hurt to take a few extra precautions before the woman's magical abilities progressed any further. If her father was right and someone might be able able to defeat her the Charming's daughter seemed as good a candidate as any.

A bridge rebuilt itself around Emma as she levitated herself in the air and her sister's face was so full of joy that Zelena thought she might genuinely vomit.

But then something struck Zelena, something which she hadn't previously considered. What if the Swan woman was the key to casting the curse and not the boy. It appeared that there was a connection between the two of them as she watched from across the ravine. It could be that the heart of the thing Regina loved the most was in fact the heart of this woman and not of her son.

 _Well_ , she mused, _I guess we may have to explore this little scenario before we proceed. Such fun._

Either way, she decided, Emma Swan was hers.

* * *

 

Emma and Regina walked side by side through the relative peace of the woods, making their way back to the car. Their lighthearted banter continued but neither could deny the fact that they were still processing the situation that had happened.

It hadn't gone unnoticed by Emma that Regina had been crying while she had been in the ravine. She had heard the tortured scream from above when the woman had thought she was dead. It sounded strange but Emma had never expected Regina to care so much, should something like that happen to her. However it was now obvious that the woman did care about her, she really cared, and that scared Emma because when people cared about her she had an alarming tendency to let them down time after time. She stood up to Regina's expectations today but there would come a day in which she wouldn't and then everything would inevitably break apart, because no matter how hard Emma tried it was never good enough. She always did something wrong and it was usually something she knew was wrong but did anyway, making it so much worse. She wondered whether Regina would still put all her faith in her if she knew everything about her life, everything she had done. But then, she supposed, she put her faith in Regina with the full knowledge that she had made some terrible decisions in her life, all she did was simply trust her not to make decisions like that again.

The crack of a branch from somewhere to her left pushed Emma immediately into guard mode. She stopped still and placed herself between Regina and the noise out of pure instinct.

"I heard something," Emma whispered, peering into the trees.

"Hello?" Regina asked loudly, "whoever is hiding out there, show yourself."

A shape emerged from the trees and Emma breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a stocky male form instead of an intimidating female one. She stood down, moving to stand alongside Regina again as the person made themselves known.

"Your Majesty, I apologise. We must stop meeting like this," he said, trying to be charming but neither woman was convinced. "And Emma, I am very sorry for startling you."

"Its fine just, be careful out here alone, blah blah, sheriff talk, you know the drill," she replied earning a scowl from Regina who apparently took Emma's job more seriously than the woman herself did.

He laughed briefly before turning again to look at Regina. "What are you ladies doing out here?"

"Patrolling," Regina quickly lied. Emma assumed that she wanted as few people to know about Emma's magical abilities as possible, just in case any of them were working with Zelena. "We have a witch to defeat, after all."

Emma stared at the man's face as he and Regina shared small talk about Zelena. He spoke to Regina as if he knew her, or at least wanted to know her, which Emma found somewhat bizarre. She had only encountered him once and he and his band of followers tended to keep to themselves for the most part so she wondered what the story was here. He was an interesting man, his face pulled upwards in what looked like a permanent grimace. He wasn't unattractive but there wasn't anything special about him either. She debated whether Regina was interested in this man. She hadn't been with any one since Graham, as far as Emma knew, and while she had dared to hope that maybe the person for Regina was her she hadn't expected that to actually become a reality. Emma wanted the brunette to be happy; after a difficult life Regina deserved nothing more than a happy ending and if that meant that she had to watch the woman fall for this boring, oaf of a man then so be it.

"Yes," Emma heard Regina say as she drifted out of her reverie, "we will be sure to keep you informed of any movements concerning the dark witch. We should be going." Brown eyes met green for a few seconds in silent communication.

"I very much appreciate that," he responded as they started to walk away, "maybe we could meet for a coffee at Granny's sometime?" he asked, a confident yet lopsided smile on his face.

Regina didn't know what to respond to the man. She didn't want to say no in case Tinkerbell had been right, and he was somehow involved in her happy ending, but she also didn't want to say yes. If the question had come from the woman next to her then the answer would have been on the tip of her tongue before she even gave it a second thought. With Emma she felt like what Gold told her could have been true but this man with the lion tattoo? There was no connection between them. Sometimes she felt Emma so strongly, like the woman was a part of her, and relinquishing that for a forty year old daydream seemed like the worst decision she could ever make. But there was something about the situation that intrigued her, even if she did not want to pursue it. She felt like there was something more to Hood and Tinkerbell and the entire fairy dust situation than met the eye, she just didn't have the time right now to figure it out.

"I am flattered for the offer, Robin, but I'm afraid I have my plate rather full at the moment," said the woman cooly.

Emma had to hold in a yell of joy at the fact that Regina was rejecting him and also a laugh at the look on his face, putting her hands in her pockets and looking out across the woods to distract herself.

"One morning off can't hurt, can it?" He asked.

The blonde had to try and convince herself that she didn't just see him wink at Regina but unlucky for her the image was already burned into her retinas. She wondered who this man thought he was, treating the former Queen like she was just a thing to be played with. Regina was not best pleased with his response and answered just the way Emma hoped she would.

"I think you'll find it can, Mr. Locksley. In fact it could cost you your life." She scowled at him and he was taken aback.

Emma tried to hide her amusement but there was literally nothing better than watching the queen of sass at work. All she needed was popcorn.

"We're leaving," Regina asserted finally and Emma fell into step behind her.

"Good bye Your Majesty, Sheriff," the man said from behind them, obviously still bewildered at being turned down.

When they were far enough away and out of ear shot Emma burst out laughing and looked up at Regina, her eyes sparkling.

"I'm sorry…" Emma said. She continued to laugh and had to stop between words to try and find her breath. "Just…Him…asking you out…you're so sassy…that was brilliant." By the time she finished Regina was chuckling too.

"He winked at you, oh my god I'm still in shock."

Regina looked embarrassed for a second then let out another laugh, "oh god, he did didn't he. That was awful."

"Awful? It was hilarious," the blonde replied, still smiling as they walked into the clearing where the car was parked. "So whats the deal with him?" Emma tried to ask casually, "do you guys know each other or?"

"I don't know," Regina asked as she slid into the drivers seat.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I have met him several times in Storybrooke, but I think I may have been acquainted with him in the missing year but I cannot be sure. And there's…something else, though I'm not sure you're quite ready for that story."

Emma clicked her seatbelt as Regina pulled the car away onto the road. She smiled across at the woman driving. "Try me?" she asked.

"Very well," Regina conceded, "I will tell you the short version because the long version would likely take all day."

Emma laughed, "Okay, thats fine. You don't have to tell me at all if you don't want to."

"No, I don't mind. Many years ago Tinkerbell used fairy dust to show me who my true love was. I was very sad at the time, this is well before I became the Evil Queen, mind you," Regina glanced over at Emma to make sure she was paying attention. "It lead us to a tavern, to a man, who had a tattoo of a lion's head on his arm, and-"

"Robin has the tattoo?" Emma finished for her. "So he's your…soulmate? True love?"

"Supposedly yes, but," the brunette had to stop herself before she accidentally told Emma that they were also true loves. "But…I don't know him, and I don't think I want to. It was many many years ago and things have changed now."

Emma speculated on this for a second, she tried not to think about herself but inevitably if this man was Regina's true love then it meant she had absolutely no chance in hell of being with the woman.

"You do deserve happiness Regina. Surely if he's your True Love, you want to find out? Things aren't going to have changed that much, right? Because True Love is destiny and destiny's course never changes. Thats how I'm the Saviour…so maybe…I don't know what I'm saying."

"No," Regina replied, "You're right. Destiny never chances its course, not for anyone. You're the Saviour because you were born to be and those laws hold for everything that magic touches," she smiled. However, she wasn't thinking about what Emma said in relation to Robin, but in relation to whatever was happening between them. If destiny never changed its course then surely that would apply to them as well, and if it did then they were fated to be together as much as she and Robin were, or could have been.

"Exactly," Emma replied, smiling widely across the car at Regina. She saw something resembling happiness and hope in the mayor's eyes and she prayed that her eyes did not reveal her sadness at finding out that destiny already had a plan for Regina. "Maybe you can find your happy ending after all."


	16. Tell Me I'm Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: Implied abuse.
> 
> A/N:
> 
> Hey guys! Here's another chapter for you. This one is a little shorter than the last few have been but it sets up the next few chapters slightly. Something not so great is gonna happen but don't worry too much. I promise things won't be awful for too long. As you can see I've put a trigger warning on this chapter and there will be similar themes explored deeper in the next three chapters. It was only going to be one but I've spread all the action out because I ended up writing more than I intended! As I said before, if anyone is uncomfortable with reading this chapter or the next few then I will be happy to let you know what happens. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I would really like to know what you all think about the development of the story and criticism welcomed also.
> 
> Happy Sunday!
> 
> Rosie xx

It was just after noon when Emma Swan walked back into Storybrooke police station. She was still on a high from all the magic but she and Regina's encounter with Robin Hood had put a dampener on her mood which she suspected wouldn't leave for a long while. Instead of going with Regina to get Henry she decide to come back to work for a few hours. She thought it might clear her mind but all it was doing was making things worse. The look of pure joy on the other woman's face when she had realised that True Love might actually be a possibility for her had almost broken Emma's heart in two. She knew that Regina didn't owe her anything but that there had been a part of her which thought that all their progress was going to lead to something more than being really good friends and functional co-parents. _Maybe she will realise_ , Emma dared to hope, _Maybe one day soon she'll turn around and realise that her true love isn't Robin fucking Hood but someone who's been standing alongside her all along._ The thought did little else than rile Emma up though. Robin? He was nothing. He didn't know Regina, or her life. He couldn't just look at her face for a split second and see what was underneath a mask so realistic that it was often mistaken for the real deal. He couldn't possibly understand the need to be accepted and loved, and the crippling fear that came with that need. There was something about the brunette, something about their understanding of each other which seemed to get deeper and deeper everyday and Emma was a fool if she thought she would or even could give that up now. She had come too far into this thing to try and weasel her way out or give over to a lesser opponent. But that didn't change the fact that Regina was fated to be with this man, her fate was already written and it was one which didn't feature Emma. The blonde therefore didn't see any other option at that moment in time other than to mope around the station and wait until it was time to go home.

Snow had come into the station briefly to bring Emma and her father lunch and to Emma's absolute dismay she had actually brought up the notion of Emma going on a date with Hook, which she rejected quicker than anything she had ever said no to in her life. It wasn't just her current mood that made her so irritable, though that surely had an effect but the whole thing was really more than Emma could deal with. After that Snow changed her tune and started talking about Neal and how maybe he would be good for Emma, how after Neverland they should really "catch up properly just the two of them". It made the blonde wonder whether her mother would get the gist one day that maybe the reason she was rejecting all these proposed dates was because of something other than her need to, as her mother put it "focus on being the Saviour right now'". Yes, she was the fucking Saviour, yes she needed to save the town from its usual uncertain doom, but did her continued apathy towards dates with all of the men her mother tried to set her up with really not tell her anything? As usual Snow only saw what she wanted to see, and clearly what she wanted was a heterosexual for a daughter. _Sorry to disappoint Mom_ , Emma chuckled internally. It wasn't that she would never be with a man again - never say never and all that - but she kind of felt like she'd had enough of them for one life time; she'd always been on the fence anyway. But today more than ever Emma's mind was preoccupied with a brunette who was definitely not a man, though she doubted that would be a revelation she ever shared with her parents. That would certainly not go down well.

So there Emma was, stuck sitting in the station listening to her father babble on about the baby kicking and Mary Margret's eating habits and it wasn't as if she didn't want to hear about this stuff but she wasn't sure she could take much more. She was happy for them, and weirdly, she was actually excited about having a baby brother…even though he would be over thirty years younger than her and fourteen years younger than her son; being real-life fairytale characters really did screw up the family timelines a bit that was for sure.

Emma watched her father's mouth move but did't hear the words coming out. She occasionally smiled at him or nodded which seemed to be enough for him for the time being and allowed her respite to deal with her own thoughts. Though her mind was preoccupied with Regina and Robin and true love she knew that realistically they should be out doing something proactive rather than sitting in the station chatting, especially when there was a villain on the loose who just happened to be after her son. The dwarves had been watching the barn night and day but she hadn't yet returned, which worried Emma more than anything else. If she wasn't spending her time there it meant she was in the process of acquiring the materials needed to cast the spell and that meant that at some point she was going to come for Henry. When that happened though Zelena had to face the wrath of both her and Regina; and hell hath no fury like a threatened mother - especially one whose name literally used to include the word Evil. With one thought about the former Queen Emma was thrown back into her funk. She pictured a series of terrible things, consisting mostly of Regina looking at Robin with a look on her face that Emma had thought and hoped was reserved for her alone. She drifted back again to the fleeting moment she had experienced, of Regina's lips pressed against hers.

Before that train of thought could be continued the phone rang, and Emma was very glad that she finally might have an excuse to get out and do something, if not for any other reason that to escape the incessant chatter of her adorable but over-excited father, and distract herself from the mess in her mind. Emma motioned to Charming to pause for a second as she picked up the receiver.

"Hello, Storybrooke's Evil Villain hotline, how may I help?" Emma answered sarcastically earning herself a glare from her father. She was aware that she shouldn't be so flippant when it came to the mortal danger they were all actually in but at this point what else could she do but make it into a joke? There was a few seconds silence on the other line before a man's voice drifted through the speaker, it sounded unmistakably like Robin Hood.

"Hello, is this the Sheriff's department?" he answered.

Emma immediately went on the defensive. "It is. What do you want?" She said, her father confused as to why she was suddenly being so cold and rude.

"Yes, I'm fine…i just… I was walking in the woods out by the old mansion and I saw some green smoke coming through the trees. It was probably nothing but we were told to call if we saw anything suspicious, I thought you should know, Sheriff."

That caught Emma's attention, "Thanks for letting us know. Someone will be there to check it out right away."

Before Emma could get a reply the person on the end of the line hung up and the blonde was greeted with dialling tone in her ear.

"Who was that?" said Charming as he flicked through the pile of paper on his lap absentmindedly.

"One of the Merry Men, Robin I think," Emma replied, confused, "another call about stupid green smoke. I swear to god I'm going to kill this woman when we find her. I'll go take a look."

Her father moved to grab his jacket and gun off the desk when Emma stopped him, "Don't worry about coming. I'll be alright, its usually gone by the time we get there anyway. Its probably best if you stay here in case someone calls again. Stay on the walkie in case I need back up though?" she asked.

"Of course, are you sure? Its probably not safe to go on your own Emma," he stated, addressing her like a child; something which she really didn't appreciate. Everyone was getting on her nerves today.

"Seriously, I'll be fine. I know where you are if I need you," she replied as she grabbed her jacket and gun and headed out the door. "See you in a bit."

"Call me if you need anything," he yelled as she disappeared around the corner, but the sentiment fell on deaf ears.

Emma jumped in the her bug and sped away in the direction of the mansion. She knew that she shouldn't have gone alone but she just wanted peace and quiet to think about all the bullshit in her life and she also didn't want to give away her to her father her hatred for Robin for no apparent reason. Before she knew it she arrived at the mansion and pulled the car into park. She exited the vehicle, and walked up to the fence bordering the field alongside the mansion.

She immediately noticed a strange residue of green smoke, filtering through the trees and dissipating where it had spread along the ground and mingled with the overgrown grass. Carefully she walked away from the house, wary of keeping her wits about her even though she doubted that Zelena was stupid enough to attack her in broad daylight, even in such a remote place as this. Robin was no where to be seen and Emma assumed that his phone had died and he had just gone home. _Huge lot of help he is_ , she thought. In truth, she felt bad hating the man when she had never really bothered to learn anything about him but his connection to Regina was something that simply couldn't go unresented. He had an advantage over Emma that he didn't even realise he had.

She made her way towards the line of trees, _nothing too suspicious yet_ , she reasoned. Following the direction the smoke was coming from she made her way into the woods, senses on edge for anything out of the ordinary. She checked behind her every few steps and used her peripheral vision to scope out the maze of trunks and branches either side of her.

Distracted still by thoughts of her inevitably depressing future of watching Regina love someone entirely unworthy she wandered through the woods, following the smoke. Their kiss though, it can't have meant nothing. And Emma was reassured by the fact that Regina had said that she didn't want to know Robin and also by the fact that anyone who was going to make it into Regina's life would also have to make it into Henry's and the vetting process for that was extensive, with extremely tight requirements. All she wanted to do was get out of these woods and get home to her son and his mother, have dinner, and live to fight another day with the potential that everything could turn out the way it was meant to be.

It was only when she had followed the smoke about a hundred yards into the canopy of trees that she noticed something amiss. Her thoughts put on hold for a minute she saw that across the entire floor of the woods the grass and plant life was even, undisturbed, but as she inched forward, now on high alert, she noticed that the source of the smoke was a huge patch of empty ground. She could see right down to the dirt; no grass, no plants, nothing. The area of space was rather large, about the floor area of Regina's study if Emma had to hazard a guess. She bent down to touch the ground, her fingers coming back stained with soft brown peat as the smoke slowly disappeared around her.

She looked up, seeing something in the corner of her eye but when she turned her head it disappeared. The smoke was potent here, it smelt toxic.

Suddenly she and Regina's discovery the other night came flooding back to her as the atmosphere changed. She began to struggle to breathe and dropped her gun to the floor as she fumbled in her pocket for her phone. The screen lit up in front of her eyes and she managed to pull up a new text message to David. She didn't even get through the first word before her ability to control her movements stopped. As her throat constricted and stars began to blur her vision one last thought crossed her mind before everything went black.

Hemlock.

* * *

 

David had almost been ready to start pacing when his phone buzzed indicating a new message.

**Checked everything out, all good here. Nothing to report. Do you need me to come back? I know its early but I want to go home and check on H &R. Ok? E.**

He breathed a sigh of relief and tapped out a quick reply on his phone.

**Thank god. U worried me there 4 a while. I'm gd here, see u tmrrw. Dad x**

He threw his phone to the side and thought no more of the matter as he continued filling in the paperwork Emma had so graciously left for him.

* * *

 

Eyes flickered groggily open as she slowly came around and immediately she realised something was very, very wrong. Opening her eyes did nothing to help her figure out where she was or what had happened. She was curled in a ball on her side, hands tucked up by her face like a baby sleeping peacefully; but she was anything but peaceful. Her legs stretched out but met almost instantly with resistance and her hand reached upwards blindly, her arm extending three quarters of its possible length before it was pulled back down by the heavy weight of restraints. Her movements were stunted and she felt like everything was in slow-motion, the cogs in her brain moved as if they weren't even connected with each other as she struggled to process what was happening with any sense of immediate reality. By the time the haze in her mind had cleared a crippling sense of foreboding overtook her nervous system.

Her first coherent thought was about how Regina would be expecting her home for dinner. So by coherent she meant not coherent at all really. It was the most arbitrary thing she could have considered in such a situation, yet it seemed of the utmost importance at that moment.

Her second thought was that _fuck_ , Regina was going to kill her if she actually made it out of this alive. She went out on her own and now she was what…? Trapped in Zelena's evil lair?

All the breath left her lungs at once. She flung her arms and legs out mindlessly only to again be greeted with the realisation that she was shackled to the ground and the wall. Suddenly the reality of her current situation dawned on her and she struggled to breathe. Though she couldn't see the walls containing her she could feel them and they terrified her. The blackness crept in on her like it was trying to get at her very soul. The dark air pulled itself through her lungs invasively with a heavy, bitter taste. She began to shake as the first of many tears fell vertically down her face, across her nose and down to the hard ground beneath her.

The darkness was suffocating and all too familiar. The concrete wall was smooth and froze to her skin like an icicle as her face pressed up against it. She wanted to move away but she couldn't, both the space and her own body prevented it. It wasn't that she didn't want to move; the woman she had become would not let herself be subjected to this, she would fight and scream and kick until all the energy she possessed had drained, only then would she give up, but the fearful pressure in her chest reminded her of times much like this; of things which happened many years ago that she had always tried but never managed to forget, not quite. The experiences had been blurred but now they came back in full force, tackling her to the ground, pinning her body into place so violently that her lungs became useless, she couldn't think, couldn't shift a single muscle. It did cross her mind that she could be subdued by magic but after a while that theory went out of the window. This was all her. Through the pitch blackness she could see nothing, not even her hand in front of her face, the total eclipse heightened all her other senses to the precipice of pain. The silence was deafening and the air around her was so bleak and raw with absolute all-encompassing nothingness that she slowly began to lose the concept of anything but her own consciousness. Her body became numb with cold and her thoughts were the only real thing she could hold on to.

There was no way for her to get out. She pulled at the chains until her wrists and ankles were too raw and painful to continue but they were unbreakable and it was stupid to even continue to try, Emma thought that maybe she could use magic to break them off but the more and more she tried to pull that force from deep down inside her the more exhausted she became. She focused so hard, picturing Regina's face in her mind telling her that she was capable of this, and there was a tiny flicker of magic, barely a spark in the darkness, barely a flicker of energy inside her. So instead she resigned to her thoughts of Regina and Henry. She hoped more than anything that they were safe and Zelena hadn't gotten to them yet. She berated herself, angry for being angry at Regina. She deserved all the happiness that life could bring her and if that consisted of Robin Hood then Emma was powerless to stop it. If she died and the brunette managed to defeat Zelena then she wanted her to be happy. Emma realised that she was being pessimistic, thinking about her own demise but she couldn't help it; the room was a box of memories for her and it took her back to a time in her life when she thought that there was nothing worth fighting for. She had learned since that in fact life itself is worth fighting for but the difficulty to grasp that fact when in a horrible environment, whilst living a horrible life, was something that Emma still appreciated to this day. She didn't know whether it was her parents influence or simply a consequence of learning more about herself but she did like to think that somewhere along the line there was some kind of fulfilment for everyone. All she had ever wanted was to have a home, and if thats all she ever got in the end then it would be more than she deserved, but it didn't mean that she couldn't wish for it anyway. She had found her parents, yes, and Henry, but there was still something missing. The puzzle was almost complete, but there were a few pieces missing. Important pieces. She just hoped that she would live long enough to find them and fit them in where they belonged. After a while - how long she could not have said - she drifted off into the troubled realm of her dreams.

There was a young girl; blonde, thin, drained. She watched from above as the girl shivered against concrete walls, her knees tucked right up to her face as she cowered in a corner, green eyes dull and lifeless, expectant, accepting but still terribly scared. She touched her face to ground herself, to pull herself back into the present but all it succeeded in doing was changing her perspective. Then she was no longer looking down on the girl, she was her. She felt a splitting agony in her side every time she took a ragged breath and the next time she reached up to her face she felt the throb of a tender, swollen mark and the wet trail of tears continuously falling. She didn't know whether they were her own or the girl's but it didn't matter. Her tears and the girls tears; she and Emma were one and the same.

* * *

 

"Well its just not good enough!" Zelena screamed in pure rage, vein on her forehead throbbing angrily. She absolutely despised having to ask anyone for help, especially when the only candidate she could find who could be easily bartered with was the most useless man in existence. However she needed someone's help; since she was unable to complete part of the plan herself. It would be more fun this way, anyhow. But only if the blithering idiot in front of her could get his act together. Her promise to him had been a simple one, one which she was happy to grant, given what she wanted in return. The man was miserable, pining over his lost wife and child and would do anything to bring them back to him. The problem was, he was lacking in intellect and lacked a certain spontaneity that she required in those who assisted her. She had never been one to play well with others but sometimes using people was the only was to achieve ones own ends, and Zelena stood by that. She had never understood the concept of putting another's happiness in front of your own, and she never would. Her happiness came first. She had suffered and she deserved have what she wanted in life for once.

"But…You have the Saviour now," he said nervously, "thats something, isn't it? I got her for you!" The woman in front of him visibly shook with anger. This had been a mistake; he was useless and even more importantly he was wasting precious time.

"You made a phone call, don't flatter yourself. And anyway, _my_ capturing her is entirely pointless if the other requirement has not been fulfilled and it is entirely your fault that it is not. Do you not understand that, you absolute moron?" She advanced towards him as he backed himself into the wall behind them. Yes, he was a notorious thief but even thieves have to be scared of something and this woman definitely made that cut.

"I'm sorry…I didn't know what to say. I couldn't just force her to say yes…the sheriff was there…" he trailed off miserably. From what he knew of Regina from Tinkerbell he hadn't wanted to get on her bad side and the Sheriff was much more skilled than she looked, from what he had heard.

She span around and spaced away from him, head in hands.

"Of course you could!" She yelled, louder now as she raced towards him and put herself directly in his personal space, inches away from him. "If your appeal is not enough for her then you will have to find another way. Call that fairy friend of yours, pull some strings. Whatever it takes."

She looked him directly in the eyes and there was a twitch of nervousness in his eyebrow as she stared him down. The flecks of spittle hit his face as she spoke.

"Do I make myself clear, Robin?" she asked menacingly, a crazed look in her eye.

"Yes Zelena, very clear. I am sorry I failed you. It won't happen again."

"I doubt that very much," the redhead said as she left Hood to his own devices. From further down the corridor she heard a low mutter and strangled tears before they were drowned out by the man's voice. It seemed her prisoner was doing well.

" _Hi Tink_ ," Zelena heard as she walked back to the entrance, " _Its me, Robin. Remember that thing you told me about? Well I need a favour._ "


	17. Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Implied abuse
> 
> A/N:
> 
> Hey guys!
> 
> It's a Sunday and Sundays mean updates (although this is really late, sorry). This chapter directly carries on from the one before with poor Emma in a slightly precarious position and some feelings being realised along the way. Reviews are, as always, very much appreciated! We're getting quite a way through this story now and I'd love to know what you guys think is gonna happen as it goes along.
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> Rosie xx
> 
> (I do not own Once or any of its characters, no copyright intended).

Henry and Regina sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen; Henry doing his homework and Regina reading a book. Dinner had been ready for almost half an hour but it was currently keeping warm in the oven whilst they patiently waited for Emma to return from work. The two sat in silence, the same look of concentration on both their faces. Even though Henry wasn't Regina's biological child there were many similarities in their behaviour, combined with their matching dark hair, that would convince strangers that they were in fact related. Henry was the first to break the quiet contentment.

"Where's Ma? I'm getting really hungry, I wish she'd hurry up," he said, looking up at his mother from his homework.

"I don't know Henry, she should have been home a while ago. I'm sure she's just caught up in something at the station with your grandfather."

"Hmm okay…I'm reaaaally hungry though Mom…can I have a pre-dinner snack to keep me going?" he asked cheekily, pulling out the wide, pleading eyes that he most certainly had not inherited from Regina; that was all Emma's work.

Regina feigned shock before breaking out into a small smile, "No you may certainly not young man, you can wait. I will call her now and see where she is, okay?"

"Okay," Henry said dejectedly before returning to his work.

Regina placed her book down on the counter face down and picked up her phone from beside her. Unlocking it she quickly found Emma's name in her recent contacts alongside a picture the blonde had insisted on adding as her contact photo a few weeks ago. It was just a funny selfie Emma had taken but it caused the corners of Regina's mouth to lift upwards just the same. The brunette pressed the number and held the phone to her ear. She listened to it ring, and ring and ring. Emma's voice came onto the end of the line after a long while but it was her voicemail, and not the woman herself.

_'Hey you've reached Emma Swan, Sheriff and Saviour extraordinaire. Obviously I'm off doing something cooler than answering my phone right now, like saving the world, so leave a message after the beep.'_

Regina sighed. Not only did the blonde not have the decency to answer her phone but she insisted on making the brunette listen to that ridiculous message every time she didn't. _Typical._

"Did she not answer?" Henry asked to Regina's chagrin. Obviously if she had then the brunette wouldn't have the look on her face that she did right now, but she stilled the beating of her heart and tried to reply with as much optimism as she could muster at that moment. Unfortunately, it just came out angry.

"No she did not, clearly something is more important than the dinner I've slaved over for half the day," she snapped. It wasn't that she was actually angry _per se_ , but she thought that with everything going on right now Emma would at least have the decency to inform her of her whereabouts.

"Does this mean I can eat dinner now?" Henry requested again, not realising that there might be more important implications to Emma's silence than dinner being late.

"If she still isn't back by the time your homework is finished then yes, we can eat," Regina replied. She hoped beyond anything that Emma was home by then, because if not she might just have to send out a search party, no matter how desperate that would make her look.

"Fine," Henry whined, receiving a look of 'don't test me' from his mother.

It was about ten minutes later when Regina's phone vibrated against the table, she had been attempting to read her book but the words hadn't been going in. She was sure she just read the same paragraph ten times. Her eyes moved but her mind was elsewhere.

 **Hey, sorry. Stuck at station. Will be back later, save me some food. E.** The former Queen read. _Yet again, typical_ , she thought. The woman seemed mostly unconcerned about her lateness and more concerned about having her stomach filled when she returned home.

"Was that her?" The words jumped out of Henry's mouth as soon as Regina's phone hit the counter.

"Yes," Regina replied with a faked smile, "she's going to be late so your wish is granted my prince, its dinner time for us."

"Woop!" Henry shouted, "finally!"

Regina chuckled at her son as she pulled their plates out of the oven, "if anyone didn't know any better they'd think I starve you," the brunette japed with raised eyebrows.

She and Henry ate dinner happily, laughing and joking with each other. However there was something that felt off to Regina. It was probably just the fact that she had grown used to having Emma here for dinner, sitting and eating like a family. But there was something else; a niggling feeling that something wasn't right. She ignored it for now in favour of enjoying an evening alone with her son but it continued to play on her mind.

* * *

 

Somewhere in the distance Emma heard her phone ringing. It was Regina's ringtone, 'O fortuna'. Usually it made her laugh; she had set it as Regina's ringtone years ago when she had hated her, and when a phone call from the woman had come with an unparalleled sense of foreboding. She hadn't changed it because it was the epitome of everything Regina; intense, intimidating, epic. But now, drifting in and out of consciousness, plagued with memories of some of the worst times of her life all Emma wanted to do was make it stop. No, that wasn't entirely true. All she wanted to do was pick up the phone and speak to the woman on the other end but that was physically impossible right now. Her tired arms stretched out blindly towards the source of the noise but as always she was met with the cold mechanical resistance of chains around her wrists, tethering her to the ground like a criminal, like an animal.

"Stop," Emma whispered through her tears, "stop…..stop….stop..stop..stop stopstopstopstop,". She screwed her eyes shut as tight as she could and clutched her fists to her temples but it did nothing to help. It made everything worse. Because the words she had said out loud had been said before, in another time, another place. Her voice still as despairing, only more innocent, less filled with resentment and more full of pure unadulterated sorrow. Finally the music stopped and not long after Emma drifted back into the deepest darkest regresses of her mind, her dreams plagued with images whose reality she couldn't determine. When she realised she was dreaming, she awoke, as one tends to do, but when she was awake the things from her dreams continued to wreak havoc on her psyche. She couldn't decide which state was less torturous so she allowed herself to succumb to her mind's whim, to drift aimlessly between the past and the present. Occasionally there were other images; Regina, Henry, happiness. She knew she was awake when these came but all they did was make her sad with the realisation that she may never get to experience such things again. The time spent with her son had been so relatively little that it broke her in two to think that four years may be all the time she got with him on this earth. This hurt the most, but there was also a yearning in Emma's chest for things which she hadn't yet had the pleasure of experiencing. The blonde wanted to know what it felt like to be held by Regina; she imagined that it would be like electricity running through her soul, that any bad thing that had ever happened to her could be wiped away like chalk from a slate when Regina looked at her. She wished that just for a moment she could see those beautiful chocolate brown eyes, that face which was so hardened to the outside world yet sometimes, somehow, managed to illuminate itself in Emma's presence and make her feel more power than she did even when practising magic. These thoughts made her happy for a time but inevitably she was dragged backwards again into the bottomless pool that was her subconscious.

There was a figure standing above her, towering over her like she was a tiny insignificant creature about to get crushed without a second thought. She knew who he was. It had been years but she could smell the stench like it had been yesterday. He reeked of stale liquor, cigarettes, sweat and dirt. It made her feel dirty just being in proximity to him. He bent down closer, over shadowing her and the smell increased tenfold. His breath was ragged and rancid, the product of a bottle of whiskey and a twenty pack of smokes, and that was only the beginning of his night. He nudged Emma with his hand and she flinched, curled up into herself as tight as she could. She could see the outline of his face through the blackness but then it began to morph into something else, someone else.

The smell disappeared and was replaced with a overwhelming feeling of darkness. Emma could feel it spilling into her veins like huge crashing waves pushing their way onto the shore in the dead of night. But she could still see a face in front of her and thats when she realised for sure that she was experiencing real life now. The face in front of her eyes wasn't covered in stubble with jowls hanging down, rancid smelling paired with a powerful and burly body, it was smooth and curved, womanly. It was her. Emma blinked her eyes as they adjusted to the light coming from across the room.

"Why hello there, Saviour," the woman said too sweetly, "how lovely of you to join me."

"Let me go," Emma croaked weakly, her eyes drooping significantly. The woman spoke like many people from the Enchanted Forest did but with her it was different. Her tone was light and polite yet the woman did not match her voice. Where you expected kind soft eyes you got malicious green ones filled with jealously and care for little else than herself. The woman above her laughed.

"Now now, that would be no fun at all, would it? We haven't even gotten to know each other yet."

Emma didn't even have the energy to reply. She felt like all her life-force had been drained from her. She tried to pull herself up into sitting position but in doing so her arm got caught and pulled her back to the ground. She had no idea why this was affecting her so much. She had been in a jail cell, in handcuffs for more time than she cared to think about, she should be stronger than this, but there was something making it impossible.

"I have to say," she continued as she paced in front of Emma, "I expected a little more fight from the Saviour. I've heard such wonderful things about you. My my my you are a disappointment."

Zelena walked over to Emma's jacket which was slung haphazardly over a chair in the corner of the small room which Emma hadn't seen before due to the absolute darkness. There still wasn't enough light for Emma to see the whole room, but she could make out some of the things around her now which made her feel slightly better at first, but after looking around it made her feel worse. The room was tiny and clearly hadn't been use in a long, long time. Some of the walls had white fabric hanging off them and there was what looked like it had once been cushion stuffing in far corners. Now, however, it just looked like nothing more than a pile of dust and dirt. The woman retrieved Emma's phone from the pocket of her jacket and pressed the screen.

"Oh what do we have here? A missed call from my pathetic little sister. How sweet, she's concerned about your whereabouts. I suppose we should let her know that you're safe and sound shouldn't we? Wouldn't want her or Henry to worry," Zelena said with a cackle and a smirking face, half shadowed from Emma's view by the lack of light allowed to enter the small room.

Suddenly something snapped inside Emma, she pulled herself up and strained against her shackles, "stay the fuck away from them. You can have me, but leave Regina and Henry alone," the blonde snarled, like a caged animal. Emma heard the buttons on her phone make a sound as a message was typed out.

"Leave Regina alone?" Zelena said nonchalantly. "Oh Dear, are you even more of an imbecile than I thought? You are certainly in for quite a shock when all comes into the light". The witch walked towards her and knelt down to Emma's eye level, "I will do whatever I want with the both of them. There is _absolutely nothing_ you can do about it. You are finished, she is finished and your poor, unsuspecting son? I'm sure I can find some use for him."

The blonde felt her head smack against the hard concrete as magic pinned her with almighty force against the wall. Her eyes slammed shut in response and she heard footsteps move away from her. She managed to breathe through the pain and open her eyes again just as the light was disappearing, the faint line on the floor caused by the open door shrinking as it was shut tightly again.

"No, please," Emma begged, unaware of what was coming out of her mouth at that moment as the fear of being trapped in with her own thoughts sprang to life again. "Please, don't, please."

"Have fun," was the only response she received before she was subjected to drown in the darkness once again. Emma kicked out, hard. She felt the clasps around her ankles dig into her skin painfully. She screamed and yelled and cried as hard and as loud as she physically could. She focused everything she had left on gathering her magic inside of her and pushing it outwards but it was useless. Her voice was horse by the time she gave up screaming. She slumped back against the wall and let the tears fall; nothing she did would make a difference.

"Oh god Regina, I'm sorry," Emma said out loud resting the side of her head against the concrete, "I'm so sorry. I'm so stupid. So fucking stupid. You probably won't even realise I'm gone will you? Fuck. FUCK." The blonde curled back up into a ball and began to cry again. All she wanted was to know that Regina and Henry were safe. If anything happened to them then she didn't even care if she died in there, at the hands of that evil maniac, there would be nothing left for her anyway. And maybe if it did happen, Regina would be able to move on with Robin, find true love and get her happy ending. Maybe this was meant to happen. Maybe Emma had to die so Regina could live.

* * *

 

Dinner and homework had been finished and Henry was in his room reading a book. Emma still wasn't home and a tight constricting feeling began to brew in Regina's chest as she walked down the stairs, when a knock at the door startled her from her thoughts and she breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was fine; Emma was back. Why did she always insist on losing the keys Regina had made for her?

Regina made her way to the front door, not even bothering to glance through the peephole before she unlocked and opened it. The face she was met with, however, was not the one she had been expecting.

"Tinkerbell," Regina said in shock, "what are you doing here?" Firstly, the brunette had expected a different blonde to be behind the door and secondly, Regina wasn't sure she trusted this woman, not after what she had seen in town the other day, and especially not when there was definitely more to Robin Hood than she was currently aware of.

"Hi Regina," the fairy answered as she looked expectantly into the house, "I'm sorry to call so late but I need to talk to you about something."

Immediately Regina's suspicion increased; though she didn't have Emma's superpower she liked to think she was pretty adept at reading people, and this woman definitely had something to hide. Her intrigue could wait, however, as she heard her phone ring from the kitchen.

"Come in, by all means," the mayor said sarcastically, "you're here now. I just need to answer this call." She moved through the lobby and under the arch into the kitchen with Tink at her heels, making it to her phone just in time to swipe the screen. It was only when she heard a male voice through the microphone that she realised she hadn't checked the caller ID and that yet again, she just just assumed it was the blonde. Tink stood in awkward silence picking at her fingernails while Regina spoke.

 _"Hi Regina_ ," she heard David say.

"Hello Charming," she answered.

_"Hey, um, Emma wasn't picking up her phone so can you just let her know that Snow has a-"_

Regina's heart leapt into her throat, "Excuse me?"

 _"Regina? Is everything okay?"_ Charming said, obviously confused.

"I just don't understand why you feel the need to call me… if Emma isn't picking up her phone why didn't you just call the station?"

The two women in the kitchen shared a brief glance before Regina looked away and turned her back.

 _"What? Emma is at home with you…isn't she?"_ The tone of his voice immediately dropping, _"she told me she was going home to check on you and Henry around 3pm."_

Regina's breath caught in her throat and her voice hitched, "I…I haven't seen her since this morning…since I dropped her off after we went into the woods. I received a text from her several hours ago telling me she was stuck at the station."

 _"Oh, god. I left the station at 5 and she definitely never came back,"_ David replied. Regina could hear Snow on the other end of the line too.

_"Charming whats happening?"_

_"Snow, just let me talk to Regina, okay?"_ she heard, berating the woman's inability to ever just be quiet for a second.

"What do you mean she never came back, back from where?" Regina demanded, leaning on the counter with one hand on the phone and the other propping her head up as she tried to stop panicking quite so much, and trying to pretend that the fairy wasn't there listening to this conversation right now.

Charming realised that he had dropped Emma right in it, but that was the least of his worries at that moment. _"We got a call just after lunchtime. Someone called about green smoke over by Jefferson's place so Emma went to check it out. She insisted she'd be fine. She text me telling me everything was clear and that she was going home to check on you two, but I guess she never did."_ David finished and sat in silence as he waited for the onslaught he was obviously about to get from Regina.

The brunette squeezed her fingernails into her temples as she attempted to slow the incessant beating of her heart, her panicked intake of breath. Emma was gone. Gone. And it was all her fault. Zelena wanted her not Emma, she was only doing this because somehow she had found out how much Emma meant to her.

"There's a wicked witch on the loose who is after anyone and anything that is even remotely connected to me and you _let her go out there on her own_ ," Regina iterated with such rage that David was one hundred percent sure he was speaking to the Evil Queen, only the Evil Queen had never cared this much about anyone but herself.

_"I'm sorry Regina, she said she'd be fine. I shouldn't have let her go…I just…"_

The former Queen didn't even let him finish his sentence before she interrupted him.

"We don't have time for apologises right now Charming although I sure as hell will be demanding them later. Right now you both need to come here. Snow can stay with Henry while we go and look for Emma. Call the dwarves, I will call Granny and Ruby. See you in ten minutes."

Regina ended the call and slammed her phone, and fists, down on the surface in front of her.

"Tinkerbell, I think it would be best if you leave now. I trust this can wait?" she asked harshly.

"Yes….uh sorry Regina. Can I do anything to help?" she asked timidly.

"No, thank you. Just see yourself out."

Regina didn't even look up from staring at her phone until she heard the front door click shut, then she let her emotions out. She didn't know whether to scream or cry.

 _How could she be so stupid?!_ Regina mentally berated Emma. _Stupid, brave, rash, Charming IDIOT. She can't just go and get herself killed. Not after she's made me lo-_. But the brunette didn't finish that thought because if Emma really was dead, she didn't want to think about her feelings for her ever again. It was too much too soon. What mattered now was finding her, if they could find her, that was.

* * *

 

The Mayor was exhausted as she slid into the comforting softness of her bed, only there wasn't much comfort left in the world when she still had absolutely no idea where Emma was. She glanced over at the clock and groaned. It was 4:34 am. They had been out searching for the blonde for over 7 hours and they were still no closer to discovering where Zelena had taken her.

First they had gone to Jefferson's mansion, Emma last known whereabouts; they searched it top to bottom but found nothing other than old beer cans and cigarette butts and some evidence of teenage vandalism. They then headed to the barn that Emma and Ruby had discovered, with the wolf leading the way, but found nothing there also. They checked almost every inch of town between the eleven of them, or at least every place that you could hide a person without anyone seeing. Their last stop had been Zelena's house in the woods. They all waited in the cover of the trees while Ruby snuck in, her feet so light on the ground that she made no noise at all. She sniffed and sniffed for Emma but found nothing. Regina even had her go and check the underground room she had noticed when she was snooping around before but even only by shining a light through the doors and holding her nose up to them Ruby could tell that Emma wasn't in there. So they gave up their search for the night, much to Regina's distaste. She was insistent that they should carry on looking but Charming and all the others agreed that it was best to go and get some rest and start again in the morning, with fresh eyes and daylight on their side.

Regina had returned to the mansion with Charming who had taken to the guest room - Emma's room - to find his wife, while she had retired to her bed which felt cold and empty. It wasn't as if Emma would have slept in there anyway, but waking up next to a warm body for the first time in years just a few mornings before made it feel like something was missing, and she was missing. Regina didn't think she would be able to sleep for the worry. She curled up in a ball on her side and pulled a pillow into her chest, trying to build a dam against the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. It was all her fault; her fault that Emma was gone. Not only was the woman who had captured her after Regina's happiness and everything that entailed but Emma had been in a strange mood when they departed that morning, despite the success of their magic lesson, and she hated to think that it was her fault that Emma had thought it would be okay to go out there alone. More than anything, Emma was probably scared that Regina would be angry at her when they found her for being so rash and stupid and she was angry, but that seemed to take a backseat because her unhappiness about Emma's decision was nothing in comparison to her undeniable need to find the woman, if it was the last thing she ever did. She couldn't help but consider that Emma was probably in pain right now, scared and in pain, and thats if she was even alive. Regina simply wanted Emma to be with her, free of any hurt or any fear. She wanted to wrap Emma up in her arms and drift to sleep attached to the blonde. She had always thought that once you sleep with someone like that you might as well be bound to them for life and that was precisely why she had never allowed anyone to hold her in such a way. However, Regina would allow Emma this privilege if the blonde wanted it. She would allow her this and much, much more; that was a promise.


	18. The Night Is Dark And Full Of Terrors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Implied Abuse
> 
> A/N:  
> Hey guys! Happy Easter!  
> There were some really good responses to last chapter and I’m glad you seem to like where I’m going with the story, especially all the (almost) feelings that have been coming to light recently. There’s more of that here and hopefully some further illustration of this connection between Regina and Emma, and their growing understanding of each other. One reviewer early on gave me the idea for this chapter and I know you all enjoyed the dream sequence before; this is a little different but equally as important.  
> If you like this story please please please review, it only takes two seconds and it’ll make my day!  
> Enjoy!  
> Rosie xx
> 
> P.S. The title of this chapter is a little ode to Game of Thrones, I know I’m not the only one excited for season 5!
> 
> (I do not own Once or any of its characters, no copyright intended).

_A set of dirty, broken double doors, almost hanging on their hinges swung magically open and Regina was presented with the sight of a long corridor. It was poorly lit with only a torch on the wall every hundred yards or so in between huge solid steel doors with industrial locks on them. The cold permeated through her thin clothes and through her skin, deep into her bones. It wasn't just a physical cold, but a cold feeling; one of dread; suffocating, oppressive. Her heels clicked on the concrete beneath her feet as she carried on, not sure where she was walking or where the path was taking her, but following it anyway._

_As she continued to make her way along, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth she thought she heard a noise. It was faint at first, almost imperceptible, but the more she walked the more sure she became that it wasn't just in her imagination. She came to a junction and stopped, pausing in an attempt to determine where the sound was emanating from. Once she heard it again, to her left, she continued down the darkened walkway and the voice became louder. It was someone whimpering, crying, the slow measured sobs of someone in immense distress, a child perhaps? Her feet moved quicker as the sound grew louder, the flames of the torches flickered with the wind as she walked past. It felt like she was walking forever; a never ending corridor which only grew more dim and depressing the closer she got to whoever was trapped._

_The crying stopped for a while but Regina carried on making her way towards what she hoped was an end to this dark, terrifying maze. When it started up again it was so loud that for a moment she thought it was in her own head. She slowed, creeping forward towards the source until she stopped at a door. It was different from all the others; wooden, with a small gold handle. She held her ear to the door for several seconds before gently pushing down the handle. Immediately the sniffling stopped but that didn't change the feel of the air around her. It was filled with innocence, and fear. She watched as the opening door created a path of light into the room and she opened it ever-so-slowly, pushing forward inch by inch until the room was covered with the low light from the torches outside. Immediately she noticed that there was a figure cowering in the far corner of the room, knees drawn up to her chest, long blonde hair flowing across her shoulders and arms like rippling sand dunes._

_"Who's there?" a timid voice said through the silence of the room._

* * *

 

_She was curled up in the corner between two concrete walls, holding her arms around her legs to stop her heart from beating so hard that it fell right out of her chest. Crying and sniffing she wiped her nose clumsily on her jean clad knee. In the distance she heard the soft click of shoes on the concrete floor and she held her breath, held her tears, to listen. The noise got louder and louder, more and more ominous. They were coming for her. When she let out a breath she couldn't stop the cascade of tears that fell down her face and the tortured, yowling cry that came from her mouth. She tried to quiet herself but she was struggling to breathe as her chest constricted and forced the air out of her lungs; quick and unsatisfying. The person was close now. She could hear the sound soften as they approach the room slowly. She was terrified. They were coming to get her and this time they would succeed. She wished more than anything that she could magically disappear or make herself invisible, so she shrank impossibly further into the corner as the sound of the handle moving broke the silence of the room. The door opened slowly. Something she didn't expect. Usually they barged in, brash and angry. But whoever was on the other side of this door was cautious and unsure of what they were to find on the other side. As the door opened fully she saw a figure; a woman. Her face was in shadow so she couldn't distinguish any features but she wasn't scary, she actually exuded a calming presence like Emma had never felt. Before she could stop herself the words left her mouth and she clutched tighter to her knees, hiding her face in them and allowing her hair to fall around her._

_"Who's there?" she asked quietly, afraid of the answer she might get._

_She watched through hooded eyelids as the woman approach her, kneeling down to ground level on her left hand side. The woman's face was clear now; it was gentle and looked soft. Emma wanted to touch it but restrained herself, instead choosing to look deeply into the chocolate brown eyes that stared warmly at her._

_"I heard crying," the woman said as she reached her hand out to rest on the blonde's knee. "Are you okay?" she asked._

_"No," was her reply, still fixated on the eyes in front of her. So loving, so beautiful. She didn't think she'd ever seen anything like it before nor would she see anything like it again._

_The woman rubbed her hand along Emma's leg and she flinched away, pushing herself into the stone wall on her right. She held out her hand and looked as if she expected her to take it._

_"We should get you out of here. Come with me. This is no place for a child."_

_"I can't leave. They'll be angry," the blonde replied, breaking eye contact and staring straight ahead at nothing and everything at the same time. "I don't like it when they're angry."_

_She felt movement beside her as the woman shifted to sit in front of her, forcing Emma to look her in the face again. She felt like she'd seen the woman's face before. But she didn't know where, or how she would be able to know this person. She was sure she had never met anyone this nice._

_"No one's going to be angry, I promise."_

* * *

 

_Regina sat in front of the little girl and inched her hand forward slowly until it was resting on the her forearm gently. She could feel the cold skin prickle under her touch but this time the girl didn't move away._

_"They will be. They're always angry. They'll come for you too. You should go."_

_The brunette felt an inexplicable draw to the huddled, skinny little thing in front of her. She stroked her hand up and down and the girl lifted her head to look at her properly. Blonde hair fell down around her face and Regina could see the cheeks stained from crying; red puffy eyes with huge black bags underneath which shouldn't be possessed by any child as young as this. What was more disconcerting though was the huge purple mark that stretched from her eye down one side of her face, bruised and painful._

_"I'm not going anywhere," she cooed. "You're safe now. I promise."_

_"You can't promise that. People always promise that and its never true. I'm never safe."_

_Tears welled up in the older woman's eyes as she struggled to cope with what she was being told. This girl was just a child, a sweet, innocent child who had obviously been hurt too many times to trust anyone._

_"Will you tell me your name?" Regina asked, putting on her most comforting smile even though inside she wanted to break down. The girl simply shook her head and lowered it so it was resting on the brunette's hand._

_"I don't think I can. I shouldn't be talking to you," she replied after a few seconds._

_"Would it help if I tell you mine first?"_

_The girl nodded and lifted her head to look curiously at the woman in front of her again._

_"My name is Regina, and I promise, I will never, ever hurt you," she stated, a lump catching in her throat at the words. "Can you tell me yours now?"_

_Blonde hair bobbed up and down slowly, brushing against Regina's arm as she waited for the words even her subconscious wasn't expecting to hear._

_"I'm Emma."_

* * *

 

_"I'm Emma."_

The words resonated in Regina's head as she sat bolt upright, hands gripping the sheets with such force that her knuckles became the same colour as the fabric beneath them. When she realised where she was, safely in her own room, the brunette's heart-rate slowed down somewhat, but still no where near normal levels. She had been dreaming but…it had been so vivid. The little girl with familiar blonde hair and those same captivating eyes. She unclasped her hand from the sheets and reached up to rub her face, only to find it wet with tears. She remembered crying in her dream, crying for the girl who was so scared and afraid, crying for Emma.

The room around her was still bathed almost entirely in darkness, only a hint of light behind the curtains. She glanced at the clock, 8:43am. She had only been asleep a little over four hours, yet now she was wide awake. Usually upon waking a dream disappears, like smoke drifting away into the air, but this was different, she couldn't get it out of her head. The rich images were flashing through her mind; the corridor, the room, the girl, as if they were trying to tell her something. She screwed her eyes shut and tried to get them to disappear but all it resulted in doing was making them that much stronger. Regina could still feel the touch of skin on skin, the coldness of the concrete walls. But what unnerved her most of all was the feeling that what she had imagined was real; completely and utterly real. She shook her head to try and clear her thoughts, _No_ , she reasoned, _my worry for Emma is making me imagine things. Terrible things._ Regina attributed whatever she could think of to try and cover up the unsettling feeling inside her; she was overtired, drained, stressed, but the more she thought about it the less she could convince herself that any of those things were the case. She and Emma had a connection. After the fight with Zelena, everything that had transpired, even though Emma didn't know about it, there was some inexplicable affinity between them and she had experienced the exact same thing in her dream as she had on so many occasions when she and Emma were close to each other. It was as if she had really been there; as if Emma herself in some form had been there in front of her. But that was utterly impossible, wasn't it?

It was then that it dawned on her. It was different, but the location in her dream had an unmistakable similarity in its atmosphere to somewhere Regina had been many times before. Suddenly and out of no where the realisation hit her like freight train. The dream had been a message, a sign.

_I know where Emma is._

* * *

 

Within ten minutes Regina and Charming were in the Mercedes flying at near-death speed towards the hospital. The brunette had unceremoniously burst into the guest bedroom and roused David from his slumber after throwing on last night's clothes. He had still been dressed, so he grabbed his gun and sword, left a note for Mary Margret and they ran out of the door.

"How do you know where we're going?" he asked, voice still laced with sleep.

She contemplated telling him the truth for a second, but thought better of it. This was more complicated than she understood and if she told him she would simply sound like a madwoman.

"I just do, okay," she glared at him, "get in the car."

Regina slammed her foot on the brake as they turned corners, flinging them both to the side of the car before pressing her foot equally as hard on the gas and accelerating them at full-speed towards Main Street.

They stopped just short of the open front doors and both threw themselves out of the car without even stopping to cut the engine.

"Regina, what are we doing here?" Charming asked as they walked swiftly through the doors and into the lobby.

The mayor didn't reply and simple strode through the hallways of the hospital as if she belonged there. She earned some strange glances from patients and staff alike but no one dared to stop her with the look of determination she had on her face.

They swiftly turned the corner and walked slightly more calmly up to the door marked 'Exit'. One nurse looked up at them from under her glasses as Regina punched in the code but took little notice and continued with her work.

The door clicked shut behind them as David walked behind Regina down the stairs. She made her way down cautiously and David's hand subconsciously drifted down to his gun, ready for what might be around the corner. The severe nurse that usually sat behind the desk was no where to be seen but as they moved towards the corridor they saw her. Her body was sprawled across the floor; her head rested in a large pool of blood and millimetres away from her hand was a bunch of flowers. On closer inspection Regina realised that it was Hemlock.

* * *

 

The door to Gold's Pawn Shop burst open and through the doors stormed the Wicked Witch, her inability to even knock angering him more than slightly. He hadn't even opened the shop yet; the 'Closed' sign clearly visible on the front door, obviously this hadn't bothered her. After their last conversation he had hoped that she would steer clear of him - if for no more reason than her anger - but apparently that was not the case. He stood behind the front desk and watched as she barged her way through the shop, an air of confidence and certainty surrounding her that she had not possessed before.

"Zelena, what a pleasure to see you again," he said, voice low and measured, his statement obviously not truthful. "There is a custom we have in the world," he continued as she made her way towards him, "it is called knocking, I see you haven't encountered it before?" He questioned, but it was rhetorical. "I assume there is something I may help you with?"

"In fact Rumple," she began, stationing herself in front of the glass cabinet and looking him square in the eyes, "I neither want nor need your help."

Gold thought he knew where this was going and it wasn't going to be enjoyable for him; he didn't appreciate gloating.

"Then I hope there is a reason why you let yourself into my establishment, my dear, otherwise you may show yourself out." His tone was cold and unappreciative and she noticed, but her ego overcame everything else and she couldn't stop the need to inform her father of everything she had managed to achieve without his help.

"I simply wanted to inform you that I did not need your aid. I have rectified my little problem," she stated matter-of-factly, a proud grin on her face.

"And what problem might that be?" He asked, playing the fool, however the glint in his eyes betrayed him.

"You know exactly to what I am referring," she replied. She glanced around the room to check that his little wench was no where to be seen, which she wasn't, so the witch continued. "Those 'forces' you spoke of, they have been neutralised. The Saviour is in my captivity and with it the problem of her power has disappeared."

Rumple raised his eyebrows in mock surprise though obviously he had been well aware of Emma's kidnapping and its culprit since the previous evening. He had considered offering his aid to Regina in finding her but something told him that it would't be needed and helping others as little as possible was always the crocodile's prerogative.

"Then I must congratulate you," he answered, knowing exactly what to say to give the woman what she wanted. "It appears that you did not need me after all."

A smile of achievement stretched over Zelena's pale features then. She was very pleased with herself. The Saviour was powerful however she would no longer cause any problems. The room she was kept in was magically sealed and she knew for a fact that her sister's magic would not be able to break through it.

"No, I did not," she said smugly. "I just thought you would like to remain informed about the situation." With that she turned on her heels, allowing her cloak to billow out behind her and swing around dramatically as she moved to leave.

"One more thing," the mischievous voice called from behind her.

"Yes?"

"Be careful," he smiled, resting his hands on the glass and leaning forward predatorily, "It is simply a suggestion, mind you, but I think you somewhat underestimate your competition. I wouldn't want to see you get hurt."

"Thank you for your concern, Rumple, but I think it is obvious that I have everything under control so unless you have any more useless advice I shall be going now."

Rumple's face stilled. He didn't appreciate being told his advice was useless, especially by someone so relatively uninformed as the woman standing in front of him.

"Watch yourself, dearie. You forget that I know everything; not only about you, but also about them. I would be more considerate about who you call useless. You wouldn't want to get yourself into any trouble, would you?" He asked with a smirk. These days he got very few chances to show his darkest side and it was something he appreciated with the utmost enjoyment.

Zelena looked at him with fire in her eyes, obviously not used to being spoken down to. She was fuming at him for having the audacity to tell her she was wrong. Without intention her feet shortened the distance between them again, her face darkening.

"Whose side are you on Rumple?" she asked menacingly, though it did't even make him flinch.

"My own dear," he answered, much to her surprise, "always my own."

* * *

 

On edge, Regina and Charming continued to walk along the corridor. They expected the Witch to jump out of the shadows but she never did.

"Emma?" Regina questioned loudly once she was sure they were alone.

"Emma!" Charming chimed in too, his voice booming and echoing off the walls.

She yelled again and from the around the turn of the passageway they heard the quiet chinking of chains.

"Regina?" croaked a quiet voice.

Immediately the brunette started to walk faster towards the source, the final cell at the end of the corridor. "Emma, are you there?" She said, a quiet desperation in her voice.

"Yeah," came the tired but optimistic reply, "I'm here."

"Oh thank god, you're alright!" Charming said as they rushed towards her. He stretched out his hand to reach the door handle but Regina quickly stopped him.

"No David," Regina said, turning to him. "It's been too easy for us to get in here; she didn't leave anyone on guard which means she's protected Emma so well in some way that she doesn't expect anyone to be able to get her out."

"Well I'm chained to the wall if that helps anything," the blonde's sarcastic voice drifted through the door. Regina didn't need to see into the cell, however, to know that the woman was simply making a joke to cover her true feelings. With her left hand Regina attempted to flip upwards the metal window which would allow her to see in. As soon as she pushed upwards with her finger a huge surge of magic forcefully threw her backwards into the stone wall behind. She was quickly pulled to her feet by David and brushed herself off before coming to stand next to him again.

"Emma, we're gonna get you out alright?" He shouted through the door.

"If you could, that would be totally awesome," she joked. "I'm not exactly a 5* hotel in here."

Regina stood in silence for several seconds as she decided what to do. Given her recently acquired information and the knowledge that Emma's power was much stronger than even the woman herself knew it was, she reasoned that they might be able to breach the door if they combined their full force of magic into it. They had done much more difficult things before but Emma's weakened state and the strength of her sister's magic could be a disadvantage.

"Charming?" she addressed the man in question, "I need you to go and stand guard in case Zelena comes back."

"But how are we gonna get Emma out?"

"I think if Emma and i combine our magic then we can break the spell but we have been down here for a while now and I doubt my dear sister would leave Emma alone down here too long." She replied. These weren't the only reasons. Really, she wanted to make sure that Emma was okay, especially after what she had seen in her sleep, and it would also be much easier to complete the task at hand without any distractions.

"Okay, shout if you need anything," David replied, attempting to abandon his fatherly and heroic instincts in favour of trusting Regina.

Once she heard his footsteps stop at the far end of the corridor Regina moved as close as she could to the door without being shocked away and spoke.

"We're going to have to use our magic together, can you do that?" Regina asked. It sounded somewhat harsh, but had an undertone of concern.

"I think so," came the blonde's quiet reply, much more vulnerable now that she and Regina were alone.

"You can," Regina corrected her, "I need you to imagine it, just like when you rebuilt the bridge, or opened the book. Visualise the door as a barrier of magic and then project your magic outwards towards it. I'm going to do exactly the same. As hard as you can, you can do it."

"Yeah," she affirmed nervously. "I can do it."

Regina heard the movement of chains as the blonde moved herself closer to the door.

"Are you ready?" the brunette asked, moving herself backwards several steps from the door. Silence.

"Emma, are you okay?"

There was silence again for a few seconds before the blonde's voice crackled into life, quieter and more scared than the brunette had every heard her.

"No…"

"…Get me out of here Regina," she finished, her voice so similar to the one Regina had heard last night that it caused her heart to ache.

"I will," the brunette said defiantly, "I promise. On 3. 1…, 2…,"

"3!" They said in unison. Emma closed her eyes tightly and imagined the door in front of her as a sheet of magic, like a sheet of paper that needed to be shredded. But more than that, however, she pictured the woman behind the door; expelling her longing for the other woman out of her with such force; willing and wishing and pulling Regina towards her. She felt the magic beam out of her hands and almost fell backwards when it hit the door and combined with the brunette's magic on the other side. She opened her eyes and saw that her cell was no longer dark or gloomy or scary in any way; every inch of the air inside was sparkling with beautiful stars of white and gold. The feeling overwhelmed her as she watched the power come from inside herself. White mixed with purple across the entire surface and turned it into a glowing lilac entranceway before the power became too strong for the spell to withstand and it exploded outwards, whiplashing both women to the ground with the sheer pressure.

The smoke cleared and the room was revealed to Regina. The sense of deja-vu was intense as she saw the cold, concrete walls and the body curled in the corner, only this time it was a woman and not a child.

Emma saw a figure rush towards her as she scrambled to her feet. She couldn't stand fully for the chains attaching her arms to the ground but nevertheless she reached out for Regina and was surprised when the woman barrelled into her and wrapped her up in her arms seemingly without even thinking bout her actions. Emma exhaled a breath she hadn't known she had been holding and breathed in everything that was Regina. Nothing had ever felt so right in her entire life and as the magic still crackled softly around them the blonde allowed herself, just for a few seconds, to melt into the warm body surrounding her.

Footsteps down the corridor forced them apart and the brunette really took in Emma's appearance for the first time. She looked like she had been trapped in the cell for much more than 24 hours. Her skin was pale with huge black crescent moons under her eyes and the usual sparkling colour in her emerald irises was dull and worn out. The brunette suddenly felt overwhelming guilt at being the cause of this pain. It was all her fault.

"How did you know I was here?" Emma asked, somehow sensing Regina's guilt and distracting her from it.

"I…" Regina started, but she didn't get a chance to explain.

"Emma," Charming said excitedly as he crossed the threshold into the tiny room, "You're okay."

"Yeah, Dad," she smiled weakly up at him, "I'm fine." The blonde turned her attention to Regina. "Hey, you reckon you can get me out of these things?" she asked, comforted still by the soft touch on her arm.

"Of course," Regina replied and allowed the purple magic to pulse from her hands and encircle the shackles at the blonde's wrists and ankles before they dropped noisily to the ground.

Emma took several tentative steps forward and straightened her posture but she was still unbalanced on her feet. The brunette walked closely and protectively alongside her until they reached the open corridor.

"I think the safest way to do this is by magic. The chance that she'll see us is too great," Regina reasoned.

"Give me your keys," Charming interjected. "I'll drive your car back to the mansion and meet you there."

Regina raised her eyebrows as if to ask if he was really serious but in the end nodded her assent and passed her keys while Emma looked around her and shivered.

"Yeah, I just…uh…wanna get out of here now please."

* * *

 

Zelena left Gold's shop frustrated and full of rage in a cloud of thick green smoke. She had hoped that she had finally proved herself to him by capturing the Saviour but clearly nothing she did could please the unappreciative man she was unlucky enough to call a father. His continual need to put her down and tell her to watch herself angered her more than anything because she knew what she was doing and didn't enjoy being told otherwise.

When the foggy greenness cleared she looked around her at the unmanned desk, the woman lying on the floor right where she left her. However something wasn't right; she could feel it in the air. This place was dingy and depressing and she had chosen it to house the Saviour specifically for these reasons but now there was something else around her, something so good that it was attempting to permeate even through her layer upon layer of evil; something magical.

It was then that she ran, projecting herself forward and down the corridor, turning the corner at lightning speed. She hadn't even orientated her body fully into the hallway when she realised that the door to the Saviour's cell was open. The redhead slowed and grabbed the door to open it fully and see into the room. When she did so, however, something in the metal sent an electrical impulse through her hands and her eyes turned momentarily lilac, though she wasn't aware of the fact. Immediately she let go and peered into the room. The clear, virtuous feeling inside of her was overtaken by pure unadulterated fury; the Saviour was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

 

They arrived in a puff of smoke in the lobby of Regina's house and immediately Henry came running in from the kitchen with Snow on his heels.

"Ma! Mom!" He ran into Emma and gave her a hug, his head pressing into her chest. She took in the feeling and grounded herself, still not used to travelling by magic. Snow must have told him what had happened, and she was glad that they hadn't kept anything a secret from him.

"Hey kid, sorry I worried you," she smiled reassuringly and buried her face in his hair for a minute before allowing him to let go.

"Are you hungry?" Snow asked, "I'll fix you up something," she said as she gave Emma a tight squeeze. "I'm so glad you're okay."

They all made their way into the kitchen and Emma ate her way through almost half a loaf of bread's worth of grilled cheese. Happily reassured that Emma was fine and just wanted to sleep, her parents took it as their cue to leave, though not without some encouragement from Regina. Once they had left the blonde ruffled her son's hair once more before she made her way to the guest bedroom. She showered, washed her hair and stared at herself in the mirror for a few minutes, noticing how drained she looked. She had just collapsed on the bed when she heard the door close and the soft padding of footsteps on the carpet. The bed dipped on one side as the brunette sat down next to her and she felt the soothing touch of an outstretched hand along her lower back. Regina sat in silence for several minutes and watched the rise and fall of Emma's breath, though she knew she wasn't asleep. They needed to talk about what had happened, even if it was only how Zelena had managed to take Emma, but right now wasn't the time to bring it up and Regina recognised that. They could talk about it later, after Emma had got some rest.

"I know you're not okay Emma, and I know you probably don't want to talk about it," Regina reassured, "but if you do, at any point, don't hesitate to come to me. I will not turn you away or judge you, that is a promise."

Emma moved her head to the side and made tentative eye contact with the woman above her. "Thank you Regina…for getting me out and for…just thank you."

"You are so very welcome, dear," she answered with a soft smile, like the blonde's guardian angel, however screwed up that was.

"I'll let you get some sleep now," Regina continued quietly as she moved and pulled the covers over the blonde's tired body.

Emma made an indiscernible noise, already drifting off to sleep. Regina crossed the room but as she did so the saviour's voice piped up again.

"Regina?" she asked, on the cusp of sleep.

"Yes Emma?" The brunette awaited the blonde's question.

"How did you know where I was?"

Regina paused and considered her answer carefully. After what they had been through - what Emma had been through - she couldn't bring to herself to lie anymore, couldn't bring herself to cover her true feelings anymore, so she took a deep breath and replied.

"I saw you in my dream."


	19. This Is Why We Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Discussion of abuse and suicide. 
> 
> A/N:  
> Hey gang!  
> Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews on the previous chapter, I’m very glad to see that people are enjoying where this is going. This is a nice long chapter for you which is the fall out from the last few chapters, featuring a lot of emotional and personal discussion between Emma and Regina concerning both their pasts. I really enjoyed writing this so I hope you all enjoy reading it!  
> Just to let you know, I think there will be roughly 10 chapters of this story left and I will let it come to an end at the same point S3 ended. I would love to continue writing it but I don’t think it will be possible. Don’t worry though; there is SO MUCH to happen in these next 10 chapters.  
> Anyway! Comments are appreciated as always, enjoy!
> 
> Rosie xx
> 
> (I do not own once upon a time, no copyright intended).

Emma woke with a start, disorientated for a moment. It was dark. For a split second she thought she was back in Zelena's captivity but then she felt the warm comfort of the duvet around her; the soft mattress cradling her weary body. She breathed in deeply, inhaling the unmistakable smell of Regina's washing powder, crisp and fresh and so like home. This, however, didn't stop the marathon race she was running in her mind, running away from all the terrible memories she had tried to keep in a little box for so long.

She wanted nothing more than to stay in bed forever but her stomach protested so she made her way to the kitchen where she found Regina cooking dinner. The brunette had her back turned and apparently hadn't noticed Emma's entrance; her bare feet making little noise on the floor. She watched her, just for a minute. Heel-less she stood significantly shorter than usual and Emma found that after all that had happened in the last day all she wanted to do was wrap Regina up in her arms and protect her from everything that was inevitably going to break them both.

"Hey," Emma announced herself quietly.

The unexpected noise gave Regina a fright and she jumped around turning to see the Saviour standing in the doorway, her reactions still flawlessly quick.

"Emma, sorry," Regina said, clearly pulling herself out of some depth of her mind and putting herself together, "I was in my own world."

"That's okay," the blonde replied, "Sorry I startled you." She walked forwards, situating herself carefully on one of the bar stools. She hadn't been badly injured at all, considering the situation, but she still felt unbelievably fragile; something which, of course, she would never admit to anyone.

"How are you?" the older woman questioned earnestly. She put down the knife she had been using and moved to the fridge, pouring out a glass of juice for Emma and sliding it across the counter.

Emma gripped the glass in her hand but didn't drink. "I'm…uh… I don't know," she answered truthfully, deep green eyes glassy and troubled.

Regina met her gaze and looked at her with overwhelming reassurance. "That's perfectly fine. No one expects you to know."

"My parents do," Emma replied quickly and without thought. "All they did was tell me I was okay when really they don't know anything, they don't understand anything." Her anger tried to break its way through but failed miserably, instead the statement just became cold and distanced. "I just…I can't talk about it you know?

"Yes," Regina answered, lost in the past for a brief moment, "I know."

The blonde rest her head on her hands and sighed, deep and tormented, but Regina's voice caused her to lift her gaze.

"I think, my dear, we have more in common than either of us would care to imagine."

* * *

 

Henry, Emma and Regina were sat on the couch in the living room, tucked underneath a huge blanket, watching the credits of Bridesmaids roll across the screen. Regina had insisted it was inappropriate but Henry had granted Emma movie choice for the night and though Regina would deny it under oath, she did find it quite amusing. Emma had been tense and distracted all evening; skipping between closing her eyes and resting on the arm of the couch or sitting up and watching the film with an unfocused gaze. Regina watched her then, sitting stock still, face stoic, eyes directed unwaveringly at the screen but not really seeing anything.

"Bedtime for you young man," Regina said, rubbing Henry's back with her hand.

"Do I have to?" Henry asked dejectedly.

"Yes, you do," Regina communicated to Henry with her eyes. With just one look he understood what she was trying to convey. He was smart enough to realise, unlike his grandparents, that his other mother was not herself. What he also understood though, was that this had been difficult for his adoptive mother and that she needed some time by herself, and time with Emma.

He hadn't been blind to what was happening between them. He saw every look, every step towards friendship and lately, he was sure, something more. He wasn't sure however whether his mothers really understood what was happening, though he suspected that Regina did.

"Okay Mom," he smiled and her and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into her neck. Then he whispered, so quietly that Regina wasn't even sure she had heard anything at all, "Don't worry about Emma, she's going to be okay."

Regina pushed her son back and gripped his face in between tender hands. "I love you Henry," she replied.

"I love you too Mom," he said, accepting a kiss on the forehead before he turned to his blonde mother. She looked at him and her eyes lit up slightly.

"Night kiddo," she voiced. Her arms opened and welcomed him in. "I love you."

"Love you too," he said. Then, to Emma's surprise, he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.

The boy grabbed his book from the coffee table and left the room, shouting goodnight to his mothers once more on his way up the stairs.

"I think I'm going to go to sleep too," Emma confessed. She wanted to be near Regina, but she also just needed to be buried in the safety and comfort of her bed. _Her bed_. What the blonde wanted more than anything was to sleep in Regina's bed but even though she had an inkling that the woman would say yes if she asked, she couldn't bring herself to actually voice the question. She hesitated for a second, contemplating it but in the end she stood from the couch and turned to face Regina. "Goodnight," she said quietly.

"Is there anything I can do? Do you need anything?" The former Queen asked.

_Ask her_ , Emma said to herself. _Just ask her_. Emma tried to give Regina genuine smile, "No, I'll be alright. Thank you though Regina."

"Goodnight dear, sleep well," the brunette answered as she watched the other woman leave the room, not able to quiet the digging worry inside of her.

* * *

 

It was a long time before Emma was able to put her mind at rest for long enough to drift off to sleep. She had tossed and turned for several hours before she had finally fallen into a fitful slumber.

She woke at some godforsaken hour, terror on her lips, heart beating hard and fast in her chest. It was like there was someone in there, desperate to get out. She felt the blood rush in her ears and tried but failed to control the hurried inhale and exhale of breath, shaking in the covers from the cold feeling permeating through her every fibre. Every crackle of silence in the air was deafening and she couldn't find a way to quiet the voices in her mind which talked over it. She couldn't shut any of it up; it was all too much. She wanted to scream but she knew she couldn't, so instead she did something she hadn't known she even had the guts to do. Her feet moved underneath her against the soft plushness of the carpet.

It was only when she reached Regina's bedroom door that she realised where her legs had brought her, after all she was still wrapped up in sleep and her own thoughts. Emma reached up, wiped away the wetness from her face with the back of her hand and sniffed quietly, pulling herself together.

Three knocks on the door, a whispered 'Regina' and several shuffling steps later the door opened to reveal a tired yet wide-awake mayor.

"Emma," Regina's face immediately dropped. "Is everything alright?"

The blonde looked down at the floor as she replied, "Can I come in?" she asked timidly, scared of the response, even though she knew that Regina wouldn't turn her away.

"Of course," Regina answered automatically. She went to grab Emma's hand but thought better of it and instead ushered the woman in and closed the door behind them.

Emma walked across the room and climbed into what she already thought of as her side of the bed. She settled in between the covers, it was not very different from her bed but something about it just made her feel automatically protected.

"Hang on, let me just turn the light on," Regina said.

"Can you leave if off, please?" Emma said quickly, sinking further into the pillow as she buried herself in the safety of Regina's bed. There was a part of her that didn't want Regina to see the evidence of her tears, so that somehow, in all of this, she might maintain the illusion of her strength. In this moment the darkness didn't scare her but sheltered her in its comfort.

"Yes." Regina slid in next to her and turned to face Emma's direction. They lay like that for a while in silence, both contemplating who would be the first to say something. Regina wanted to leave it to Emma to speak because she didn't want to ask about anything that the blonde might not want to talk about, if she wanted to talk at all. But she suspected that it was the bringing it up that caused the biggest problem for Emma.

Emma toyed with what to say, currently hyper aware of the presence opposite her. She felt like her venture up here would be pointless if she didn't try and get some things off her mind. The blonde remind herself that she was no longer a child who tried to bury all of the pain inside of her and that it might be time for her to try and deal with things like she should have a long time ago.

"I couldn't sleep," Emma started. Realising that that much had probably been evident she apologised. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

"Don't apologise Emma, you have nothing to be sorry for. I told you that you could come to me whenever and that has absolutely _no_ restrictions," she said, trying to tell Emma that she was being truthful, because the woman wasn't very good at allowing people in; same as Regina.

"Well, I'm sorry anyway."

Regina waited for her to continue but she didn't. "Would you like to talk about it?" she asked gently, trying not to push her. There was part of her which just wanted to know for the satisfaction of knowing the Saviour better than anyone else. But the larger part of her was genuinely asking _for Emma_ , and that was something which had been dormant inside of her for a long time now. Other than Henry there hadn't, for what felt like eons to Regina, been someone whose wellbeing she genuinely cared about. For many years almost everyone in Regina's life had been disposable, replaceable at the drop of a hat - or in her case a little call to her Genie. Emma was neither of those things to the brunette anymore and hadn't been for longer than she cared to think about. Emma was… _indispensable_ to Regina for no reason other than her own selfish need to maintain the blonde's presence in her life. However, all of that ceased to matter the moment Emma's voice broke through the silence of the darkness.

"I had a nightmare," she paused and Regina listened intently, shifting centimetres closer to Emma. "I used to have them every night. They stopped for a long time…" She trailed off, thinking about how many years she had been free of the terrors that plagued her dreams. They had stopped for the most part by her mid twenties but occasionally they had made a reappearance. In fact, she couldn't recall having a single one since she came to Storybrooke, which had to mean something.

"What are they about?" Regina pressed gently, interrupting Emma's train of thought.

"Things…" Emma began, gathering the courage to do something she had never done before. "Things that happened to me when I was a kid. In foster homes."

"Oh, Emma. I'm so sorry," the former Queen didn't know what else to say. She was uncomfortably unaware that Emma's terrible childhood had been partly her doing, though Snow and Charming weren't entirely unblameworthy either.

"It's fine," she said quickly, "I mean its not fine. At all. But like, no one can change it now so I just have to deal with it." Emma said, fully aware that not being able to change what happened didn't make it any less painful. The brunette didn't know whether this was an attempt to mask her emotions or whether it was more of the remarkable strength that Emma seemed to exude in even the most surprising of situations. "I guess being in there, with Zelena. It made it come back to me somehow."

"Trauma never stays buried forever Emma, but at some point we have to deal with it before it breaks us apart. Though I am one to talk. There are many things I have experienced, things I have done which I have never come to terms with. I am here for you and I want you to know that while I may not know exactly what happened to you I understand how hard it is to cope with it all when such terrible things happen. I spent a whole lifetime coping with things in precisely the worst way possible. "

"Why can't anything just be easy," Emma said, her voice tired of fighting. Regina's hand moved forward and slid across the blonde's forearm making comforting circles with the pad of her thumb. "You said you understand…?" Emma questioned but stopped herself. "You know what don't worry about-."

"No Emma," Regina interrupted, "Its fine," she took in a deep breath and exhaled. "You have had the displeasure of meeting my mother and as you know she wasn't the most…loving of parents. She could be rather unpleasant when the mood struck, as it did of a regular occurrence. Though of course she never left me with physical scars, wouldn't want to spoil me for my future husband."

"I have plenty of those," Emma said nervously, "But I cannot imagine was it was like growing up with Cora for a mother. I guess I can't even imagine what growing up was like for you at all, in a completely different world."

"The physical pain my mother caused me over the years was nothing in comparison to everything else she did. The sad thing is that somehow theres a part of me which still exists that loves her. It is that which I hate her for the most." Regina paused, "I have to say I cannot imagine what it must have been like to grow up in this world either."

"Isn't it strange," the blonde pondered, "how two people can grow up in entirely different worlds yet have so many of the same experiences?"

"I don't think so dear, human nature is fundamentally the same everywhere you go. There are good people everywhere and there are evil people everywhere and there are many many people who are simply somewhere in between."

"So many people think that the world is black or white," Emma continued for her, "I still hate all the people who hurt me but none of them were truly truly evil. Because if they are then your mother was, and _you_ are, and I cannot believe that you and I aren't both on a sliding scale of grey trying to claw our way towards the light."

Regina was taken aback at how deeply Emma seemed to understand the mechanics of the world, even though she thought she was lost. The brunette was grateful that the other woman thought of them both on the same standing, as both a shade of grey, even if she didn't completely agree. The list of her crimes was long and terrible and she was sure that one day she would have to tell Emma everything tonight was all about Emma and what she needed. Something else in what Emma had said had struck her and she wanted to question, but it was more personal than they had delved before and Regina was apprehensive.

"You can ask me whatever you want to ask me," drifted Emma's voice across to the brunette, as if she could read her mind.

Regina hesitated for a moment before conceding. "You said you hate 'all the people'? Emma, how many times did this happen to you?"

The blonde took in a deep breath and ran her hand along the brunette's bicep to distract herself from the confession about to spill from her lips. In her whole life Emma had never spoken to anyone about this in so much depth, or any depth at all really. It was always the one thing she never talked about; even Neal knew next to nothing about that side of her childhood.

"I was in over thirty different homes until I ran away when I was 15. It happened in at least ten of them, maybe more. I only really remember the worst ones. The one from the dream?" She questioned, not waiting for a response, "that one was the worst of the worst."

Regina's hand stilled for a moment on Emma's arm and gripped her tightly. In her dream Regina had seen Emma as a little girl, injured and curled up in the corner of a room, locked in the darkness; scared and alone. She had thought that it had simply shown her where the blonde was but now she realised that they had in fact been somewhere different. Somehow they had been in Emma's memory of herself.

"That was real?" Regina said. It was intended for herself but it left her mouth before she had the chance to stop it.

"What was real?" Emma asked immediately.

"The room, the little girl. It wasn't just a dream?" Regina asked as if Emma knew all the answers to her questions.

Words flew round in Emma's mind at a mile a minute. There were so many things she wanted to get out of her head and into the air but all ability seemed to leave her.

She thought about her dreams; the one's she had had in Zelena's cell. It had just reminded her so much of… _Wait_ , Emma suddenly thought.

"Regina?" She asked.

"Yes Emma?" the woman replied, awaiting an answer to her question.

"Earlier, you said…" Emma tried to think of how to phrase her question. "You said that you knew where to find me because you saw me in your dream?" She thought back to her dream in New York, where she had seen Regina. It had been what had convinced her to trust Hook and what had got them back to Storybrooke.

"I…I'm not entirely sure, if I am honest," she paused. "But after we had searched for you I came back to sleep. In my dream I saw the room, only it was slightly different to the one under the hospital. The room wasn't the same and…you weren't the same. But it was you. I woke up and I realised that I knew where you were."

"I dreamt of you too," Emma answered breathlessly.

"You did?" Regina asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I think so. I was having the nightmare I used to have. That room, always, and they always used to come for me." Regina wanted to ask what she meant by this, remembering the little's girls words in the dream, but she stopped herself and let Emma continue. "But instead someone else came. I think it was you. In fact, I know it was you. You helped me."

Regina's hand still rubbed up and down Emma's arm reassuringly. "You were so small, so scared."

"So I was really there? And so were you?" Emma racked her brain for answers she didn't have.

"Yes. I don't know how it happened but I am sure we were both there, in some way," Regina answered. She didn't know how else to explain it.

"I don't know how it happened either," Emma said, hand coming up to rest on Regina's, fingers intertwining, "but it has happened before."

The former Queen was shocked, "It has? I don't remember." She could just about make out Emma's face through the dusky greyness of the room.

"Yeah. Um, remember when you asked me what made me come back to Storybrooke and trust Hook?"

"Yes, you said that he had said something which jogged your memory?" Regina queried, wondering where this was going.

Emma took a deep breath before she replied. She and this secret had been friends for quite a while now, and even though she wanted to tell Regina letting go of it meant setting something in motion that she wasn't sure she could deal with right now. _Fuck it_ , Emma decided. _Time to come clean._

"Well, that was a lie, kind of. It was because of you."

Regina was absolutely taken aback at the revelation. "Because of me? What on earth do you mean." Her hand stilled on Emma's arm.

Emma soothed her hand across the top of the brunettes as she spoke, "In the missing year I had this dream. I was on what I now know is the road out of Storybrooke, just standing there with my bug. A woman came along and she knew me, she knew my name. She told me to tell Henry that she loved him, and that her name was Regina." Emma smiled through the darkness. Letting the brunette know about this was like a huge weight off her shoulders. "And then she got sucked up into the sky."

"Obviously I had no idea who you were, and you don't remember it because all your memories were wiped but when Hook came to see me he told me that Regina sent him and I just had to find out who you were, I had to find you, so I spoke to him and took the potion, and here we are."

"Emma….that…," Regina was at a loss for words. This had so many connotations for them that she struggled to process it all. It happening once would have been enough but _twice_? Regina knew little about what happened in the dream realm, but she knew for sure that it had happened for a reason. Both times they had been separated, and both times their dream had helped bring them back together. It was as if their joint subconscious knew something they didn't. But the former Queen could see no way to explain this to Emma without explaining everything and if they both acknowledged that the first dream had happened then they would have to acknowledge that the connection between them had been there much longer than either of them wanted to confess or admit they were aware of.

"…You came back here because of me?" the brunette asked in a voice laced with doubt; vulnerability seeping through the gradually lessening space between them.

Emma grasped Regina's hand in hers and stared through the darkness at the face in front of her, "Yeah, I think I did…." Emma paused. She didn't know whether to take this further, or whether she should leave things where they were for the time being and be content with Regina knowing only part of the story. Alas, her mouth got the better of her mind. "In fact, I think I came back here for you… somehow. But…" she pondered her next words for a second, "I don't quite know what that means yet."

Regina drew slow even breaths into her lungs as she took in Emma's words. The blonde was insinuating and in Regina's mind almost admitting that there was something more between them, a deeper, unexplored depth, as if now they just swam on the surface. The fact that Regina was already aware that such a depth did exist made no difference to the way she approached the situation. She wanted Emma to figure it out on her own, knowing that if the woman did truly love her fate would play its cards right. But for the first time in a long time she was filled with hope for a future never imagined.

"You don't have to say anything," Emma said defensively, worried by Regina's continued silence. "I'm sorry…" she confessed nervously through the dark, her hand still tight gripping the other woman's. The fact that the brunette hadn't moved away gave her hope. "I don't know what I'm saying, I'm just…gonna go…"

"No Emma don't, I'm sorry," the younger woman didn't even have time to start moving from the bed before her arm was clasped by a warm hand. This immediately stilled Emma; the direct contact from Regina appreciated and adored. "I was just…," the brunette continued, "overwhelmed, by it all."

"Thats not like you," Emma joked insecurely, using her words to hide the fear surrounding her unanswered confession.

Regina's fingers glided smoothly over the Saviour's soft yet muscular arm, down to her hand which she gripped tightly, fingers intertwined, feeling terribly foolish and childlike.

"You seem to have that effect on me, Miss Swan, more often than not." Regina answered, her voice confident with a sultry tone that Emma found it impossible to miss. The brunette's use of a name she hadn't used in a while surprised Emma but she realised that it was probably part of the Mayor's constant attempt to hide her true feelings from the outside world; even when the only person who could hear what she was saying right now was Emma. The sexual side of the statement intrigued Emma. Of course, she had thought about it many times but her relationship with Regina was definitely not at that level quite yet. She thought that if it were to happen it may put a bump in the road for anything that could happen with them in the future and that was a risk she wasn't willing to take. Yes, she wanted Regina in that way, she would be lying and frankly insane if she didn't; but that element of a relationship wasn't all she wanted and she was not about to ruin that possibility for herself, as fleeting as it was, for the opportunity to fuck her troubles away, even if it was possible that such a thing could happen. However Regina's flirtatious confession also surprised Emma. She seriously hadn't thought, until tonight, that she had any kind of an effect on Regina besides perhaps being her friend in some capacity. But the hand holding, the light touches, the whispered confessions, that felt like more than friendliness to Emma.

"I suspect that there is more at play here than either of us know," Regina continued, her voice suddenly solemn, as if she had only realised just now that her road to happiness was not going to be as easy as she anticipated.

Emma gripped the woman's hand and ran her thumb over it to soothe the thoughts of the mayor. "There may be more than we know Regina, but there is never more than we can handle," the blonde began, suddenly overwhelmed with the realisation that they were going to have to fight soon, and hard, and it wasn't going to be easy. A part of her wanted to stay in this little bubble of darkness and comfort with Regina for the rest of eternity but she knew that they had to do this and more importantly that they could.

"Soon this'll all be over. We haven't failed yet, we stand a pretty good chance," Emma reassured but to no avail.

"Do you really believe that Emma? We just keep doing this over and over again. Do we really fight just to live another day with another person who is hellbent on taking away everything we love in this world and crumbling it to dust? Do we really fight just so another Villain can come along and take away our happy endings?"

"But that isn't why we do this Regina, that isn't why we fight," Emma expressed, her voice clear and truthful with a gaining sense of understanding for their situation. "We don't fight for everything to be happy and perfect at the end because this is life, and it never will be perfect. Yes, there might be more Villains, or there might not be or whatever. We never know what is going to happen. We fight because what else can we do but survive?"

"My entire life has been about survival," Emma continued, "I spent my childhood trying to survive the foster system, my adolescence trying to survive being out in the world on my own. I spent a lot of time not wanting to survive because I thought that giving over to the unrelenting powers of this world would be easier than having to live among them. But then I survived prison and I spent years surviving through having to give my child away, and I started to realise that I had to do it, I had to carry on because what was the point otherwise? And then Henry came along and I survived Maleficent and Rumplestiltskin and Cora and a giant and Peter Pan and you," she emphasised, poking Regina gently in the arm with her free hand, "sometimes all I want to do is give up, even now. Right now I'm fighting the urge to bury myself in this bed and abdicate from my role of Saviour effective immediately, but I won't. And I'm sure there will be many times in the future that I will want to do the same thing but I won't. "

"Because you are a survivor," the former monarch affirmed, gripping the blonde's hand for dear life. "You know," Regina announced seconds later, "you continually astound me Emma."

"I do?" The Saviour asked, suddenly self-conscious that she had gone a little overboard.

"Hmm," Regina murmured, "indeed. You have managed to live a life of pain, of hurt and hatred and sheer survival yet never been turned to the dark side. You have never tried to take revenge for what has happened to you and that is something which I am in awe of. I, as you know, have been wronged and in return have done many, many grievous wrongs to those who crossed my path yet somehow you have managed to emerge through it without taking your pain out on others. You never give in to the darkness as I have many times. I spent almost my entire adult life not wanting to continue. I used to think I was strong," Regina confessed, "But next to you, my dear, I am nothing of the sort."

Emma was taken aback. Regina was actually impressed by her? "Thank you? I guess?" The blonde replied nervously, she was terrible at accepting compliments. "But you were strong Regina, you are strong. I don't know everything that has happened to you but I do know that you are one of - if not the strongest woman I have ever met in my entire life. You are not weak Regina, you are a force to be reckoned with."

"I was evil Emma," Regina admitted, almost ashamed of it now. "One day I will explain to you quite how much and maybe you will never see me in the same light again, but I also hope you will listen to my side of the story, though I will not mind if you do not. Your childhood experiences are a direct result of my heinous decisions. I am responsible and I take that weight upon my shoulders."

Emma wasn't sure she wanted to be having this conversation but luckily it was something she felt very strongly about, even if she had only admitted it to Regina once before.

"No Regina, I don't, because I understand that you are not made of your past mistakes. I will listen to anything you want to tell me. That was who you are then and this," Emma affirmed with a touch to Regina's cheek, "this is who you are now. My childhood is not your burden to bear. Yes, you set the ball rolling but my parents did not have to put me in that wardrobe and all those people who I lived with, who hurt me, it was their fault. They are responsible for their own actions and they didn't have to do what they did to me but they did it anyway. At the time, I guess in some twisted way you thought it was your only choice. And I cannot fault that choice because without it Henry would not exist.

"You are right, in that sense," Regina conceded, "I do not regret what I did because it brought about my having Henry in my life but I do and will always regret what happened to you as a result of my actions Emma. I'm sorry," she said. The words felt unfamiliar on her tongue, like she had never spoken them before but what she realised, however, was maybe that she had never meant them so truly.

"Its okay, really, Regina. And thank you, for this. I…" Emma paused wondering whether to confess this, "I've never spoken to anyone about my childhood before," she said, her words interrupted by a large yawn.

Regina let out a quiet girlish giggle as Emma interrupted herself. "I feel privileged then Emma, to have an insight into what makes you who you are. Maybe we should get some sleep now, do you think you might be able to?" Regina asked, very conscious of the fact that her hand was still gripped in Emma's tightly.

"Yeah I think so. I'm so tried," she replied, yawning again which furthered her point. Slowly she detached her hand from the brunette's opposite her and the sigh of disappointment didn't go unnoticed. She flipped herself over and leant on her elbow, drinking some water from the glass on the side table. Behind her she felt the bed dip as Regina moved backwards but didn't turn around and Emma settled herself into the pillow, facing the same way as the brunette. She shuffled backwards minutely until she could sense the warmth from Regina's body permeating the air between them.

"Goodnight then Emma," came the voice from behind her, soft breath tickling her neck tantalisingly.

"Goodnight Regina," was her soft and loving answer.

They both lay stock still for a while, equally scared of startling the other and causing them to move further away. Regina was thinking about her wish the previous night; that she could have Emma sleep in her bed. It had come true but now her resolve was shaken. After everything Emma had confessed tonight - especially the fact that she had come back to Storybrooke for Regina - should have told the brunette once and for all that her feelings for Emma were reciprocated but her nervousness got the better of her and she simply lay still, listening to the other woman's breathing and wishing that she had the courage to bare herself emotionally in such a way. But she wasn't there yet. If Emma wanted it, she had to ask.

Emma lay there feeling the presence of the woman so close behind her that it was impossible to ignore. When she had been trapped by Zelena all she had wanted was Regina's presence, her touch. She wanted it now more than ever. As soon as she had decided to sleep her mind had woken up again; muted by the feeling of safety around her but still there, undeniable. She battled herself for what felt like hours, going over and over in her head what to say. She contemplated sneaking herself backwards until Regina was forced to welcome her into her personal space.

The blonde moved backwards inch by inch, pushing herself towards Regina until she felt the woman's arm come into contact with her back. Half asleep, the brunette's fingers curled out and brushed the bare skin of Emma's shoulder blade several times; backwards and forwards in reassurance. Another few centimetres between them were eliminated and Regina was roused from her almost-sleep enough to realise the blonde's intent. Inhibitions masked by the fog in her mind she shuffled forward until her knees met with the back of Emma's. Her hand continued its gentle caress of soft skin on her shoulder until Regina felt the warm clasp around her sleepy fingertips, pulling her arm around Emma's waist and pulling it inwards to be met with the warmth of linked fingers and a thumping heartbeat.

Regina allowed it to happen, revelling in the feeling of having Emma in her arms. She pushed herself closer and upwards so that her chin sat near the back of Emma's head.

"Regina…" came Emma's question, vulnerable and apprehensive, "Is this okay?"

The brunette wasn't quite sure why Emma thought she even needed to ask, obviously Regina found the arrangement to her liking, but she dignified her with a response anyway, if only because she knew that Emma had had the courage to do something that she had not.

"Yes Emma, this is most certainly okay," Regina replied, melting into Emma and enjoying the warmth the proximity brought to her heart.

She didn't dare move until the blonde in her arms had fallen asleep, only then did she let herself drift off again; reassured that no strange dreams would be coming to her that night. She allowed herself to mull over the conversations they had, her body asleep but her mind still somehow producing coherent thoughts. Finally, just before she fell asleep her neck moved of its own accord, head dipping to rest lush lips against the messy blur of blonde hair atop the woman's head. Regina closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of Emma; vanilla and everything that is good in the world and that was how she fell asleep, with the Saviour wrapped up in her arms.


	20. Knight In Shining Armour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> Hey readers! Nice long chapter for you today, I hope you enjoy it! Thanks as always for the reviews, follows and favs. Happy Sunday ☺  
> Rosie

Regina had awoken not many hours after she and Emma had gone to sleep, still tired from the little rest she had managed to steal the last few days. However once the brunette awoke she found it very difficult to sleep again.

So much had happened the previous day, finding Emma and then later on the words exchanged between them that had the potential to change everything. Regina had wanted Emma to wake still in her arms but she thought better of it, in case everything the Saviour said last night had simply been her getting caught up in the moment. Henry wasn't awake yet either which gave Regina a chance to have some time alone and she made the most of it, deciding to sit out on the back porch with a mug of coffee and a book until it was breakfast time.

It was several hours later when Emma made her way downstairs and spied the brunette sitting outside with her back turned, enjoying her moment of peace from everything that was so loud in their lives. Emma poured herself a mug of coffee and went to join the former Queen, smiling widely as she took the spot next to her and turned her head.

"Morning," Emma spoke, sipping gently on her steaming mug of liquid life, she allowed it, and Regina's gaze, to warm her very soul.

"Good morning," Regina replied. Smile spreading her lips sideways and showing brilliant white teeth.

The two women maintained eye contact for several seconds; green searching brown for the questions she knew wanted to be voiced, brown searching green for answers that neither of them had. They allowed their eyes to do the talking and eventually Emma burst out in a suppressed laugh which set Regina off too; both women forgetting for a moment that everything was about to crumble around them.

* * *

 

Regina's phone rang from upstairs just as the trio were finishing breakfast and she politely excused herself to answer it. She swiftly made her way up to her bedroom and pressed the accept call button just in time to catch whoever was on the other end.

_"Hi, Regina?_ " said the accented voice on the end of the phone.

"Tinkerbell," Regina said, surprised until she remembered that the woman had come to visit her the other night before she realised Emma was missing and she hadn't got back to her. "Your visit the other night totally slipped my mind, my apologies."

_"Don't worry about it. How is Emma, by the way, I was so glad to hear she was rescued."_

"She is fine," Regina answered sharply, " thank you for your concern."

_"I'm very happy to hear that. I was wondering if maybe we could meet today. What I have to tell you is of the utmost importance."_

Regina doubted very much - considering the probable subject matter - that it was really of any importance to her at all but in order to stay in the fairy's good graces she denounced the idea as politely as possible.

"Today isn't the best for me. Emma is still in need of some assistance," Regina stated, "But I will call you to schedule a time this week for us to talk, if that is acceptable?"

_"Well,"_ the fairy answered, obviously unhappy with the answer she had been given, _"actually I really do need to speak to you today, Regina."_

"Well," Regina replied, voice turning sour, "I'm afraid I absolutely cannot. I will speak to you soon, Tinkerbell. I will let Emma know that you asked after her."

_"Reg-"_ Came the attempt at convincing from the other end of the line but Regina pressed the end call button and sighed.

Robin Hood really was the last thing she cared about at the moment, and given everything that was brewing between she and Emma it didn't even feel right to talk about him, because though she knew either one had as good a chance as the other of being her True Love, she knew somehow that her heart had already chosen the side it was rooting for and nothing could be done to change it.

She returned downstairs to find her son and his mother sat at the breakfast bar, empty plates in front of them.

"Who was that?" Emma asked as she entered the room.

"Tinkerbell," Regina answered.

"Tink?" Emma said, perplexed, "what is Tink doing calling you?"

"She was actually enquiring after your health, dear, I was as surprised as you are," Regina lied. She didn't want to, not after how far they had come in confessing their true selves to each other, but she had to because this could mess things up and right now she couldn't deal with even more things needing to be fixed.

"Wow," the blonde contemplated for a second, "that was nice of her."

It was then the turn of Emma's phone to ring and she picked it up, smiling briefly when she realised that it was her father on the other end of the phone. He asked how she was, she told him she was fine, as always. Then he asked what their plans were for the day and whether he might be able to take Henry down to the docks for some sword practice which was accompanied with the solemn promise to not let him out of his sight. With a little persuasion from Henry and his blonde mother Regina allowed it, though not before going to far as to put the phone to her own ear and reprimand Charming harshly for his past mistakes; telling him that if even more hair on her son's head was damaged under his watch she would end him quicker than he could say true love.

It was several hours later, when sitting in the garden of 108 Mifflin Street that Emma and Regina were shocked into action by a beam of shimmering and blinding green magic projecting itself into the atmosphere from the East; from the barn.

* * *

 

Regina swiftly yanked the hand-brake of the Mercedes and the car came to an abrupt halt, skidding along on its wheels in the dirt. It would have been much quicker to drive there but unfortunately they would have to cover the rest of the way on foot.

"Jesus Christ," the blonde professed as she unclipped her seatbelt and threw the door open. "Were you a precision driver or something in another life Regina?"

"Unlikely, dear, probably just some sort of nefarious criminal," Regina japed with smirk.

Emma laughed and shut the car door gently, Regina following suit; they didn't want to make too much noise, even at such a distance. They set off into the trees, using the beam of magic as their compass.

"So what's the game plan?" Emma asked expectantly. Regina was - or more truthfully appointed herself - mastermind when it came to these kinds of endeavours and the blonde had learnt a long time ago just to follow instructions, unless the situation called for her spontaneity. However on this occasion Emma was met with silence; the one thing she hadn't expected.

"So we're going to wing it?" She continued, half joking, but her concern snuck its way through the words she expelled. She gained an incredulous look from Regina who was less than impressed with the suggestion.

"No of course we're not going to wing it, its just," she paused and Emma finished her sentence.

"You don't know where to start?"

Regina gave Emma the tiniest hint of a smile and replied, "Yes, something like that." She pondered this for a while as they continued to walk through the woods. They were both distracted by their thoughts, by each other, yet both were on edge, eyes flitting between themselves and the expanse of woodland around them.

The trouble for Emma was, when it came to magic, she didn't like to suggest things in case they were just overwhelmingly naive ideas, which she assumed that most of hers were.

"Maybe if we found a way to get the necklace off her then we would stand more of a chance? Or, you know, combining our magic doesn't seem to have failed us so far. If all else fails we can try that?" She asked nervously, not knowing if she was helping Regina at all or just pissing her off somehow. After last night the last thing she wanted to do was make Regina think any less of her than she obviously already did. Emma had revealed herself and in doing so she felt weak; one thing which Regina didn't stand for.

In her heart Regina knew that neither of Emma's suggestion were likely to work, but she entertained the ideas for a moment even if only to give herself some semblance of hope.

"Even if we managed to get the necklace off her, the beginnings of the spell have already been activated and now it cannot be stopped. We do have some time though, everything needs to be in perfect order before she can actually cast the spell. If we can somehow stop her then we can contain the spell, maybe. If what I read about it was correct it creates a portal which someone has to jump through before everything is set in stone," Regina said at a fast pace, half talking to Emma and half debating with herself.

"Okay, so as long as no one goes through it then it can't hurt us?" Emma asked, green eyes looking at Regina's, full of hope.

"Theoretically, yes, but I am no expert on the spell and should we not be able to disarm Zelena there would be very little we can do."

"Right, okay," Emma replied, "so we try and get the necklace off. Maybe we could both focus our magic directly at it and see if that makes it lose its power or whatever?"

"It sounds as good a plan as any my dear however there is something extremely special about that amulet," Regina confessed. It suddenly occurred to her that they had both been so concerned with themselves over the last few days that they had neglected to discuss in full detail the most important part of all of this; defeating Zelena once and for all. They were so concerned with simply getting through each day they had forgotten that there would become a point when they would have to end Zelena.

"And that is?" the Saviour asked, prompting the brunette for more information.

"The user of it pays a price when they put it on, a price that I think Zelena may not even be aware of, which I suppose could work to our advantage. The necklace is so powerful that it siphons magic from its wearer so that their magic is bound to its own," Regina didn't know why she hadn't thought of this before, but then she remembered.

"Thats a good thing for us though right? That means if we get it off her she'll lose her magic?"

"You're right, she will lose her magic if we remove it but the removal of it is the problem you see. The reason this amulet has survived so long, since Ancient Egypt, dear, is because it has never been broken. Once someone dies whilst wearing it, which many have, it retains their power for itself and so grows exponentially more powerful every time it has a host. The necklace isn't protecting Zelena, Emma, it is protecting itself." Regina told her, trying to make as much sense as possible. Some magical artefacts had pretty complicated powers and histories and the Amulet of Eoh was no different.

"Okay so we have a self-aware necklace in our way now?" Emma asked. Sometimes, just when she thought that she couldn't find out anything more insane than she was already familiar with, something new just came along and surprised her.

"Emma," Regina replied frustratedly, "please be serious." A raise of eyebrows and a silent look had Emma's solemnly promising to obey Regina's wishes. She continued as they walked up a steep slope, branches cracking underneath her feet. "The only way to destroy the necklace is to attack it with something of equal yet opposite power. It has never been in the hands of a hero, only villains, meaning that the power of good needed to destroy it will be something far stronger than even your magic, my dear, as powerful as it is. Even our magic together will be no match for it. Anyone who has the capability for darkness, like I, have the possibility to be," she pondered her words for a second, "put under its spell, so to speak."

"But we can try?" Emma asked. The question was childlike in a way, full of the need for reassurance, her vulnerability from the previous night soaking through slowly.

"Yes dear, we can try," Regina replied, glancing a smiling face quickly up from the ground. Without looking down she carefully and momentarily slipped her hand into Emma's and gave it a tight squeeze, hoping that it would help make her feel better, even only for a minute.

Ahead of them the began to see the thinning trees and fencing, indicating that their destination was not far away. They made their way forward, coming to crouch behind a large patch of bushes a hundred feet or so from the left of the doors. The air crackled with magic and it made Emma feel dark inside and out. She reached into her back pocket and pulled her phone out slowly while Regina kept her eyes trained on the door of the barn, brain moving so fast that Emma could see it in her eyes.

"I'm gonna text David and tell him to get Henry back to the mansion, he'll be safe there," Emma whispered to a barely attentive Regina. She tapped out a message on her phone and pressed send, slid her phone back into her pocket and laid a tentative hand on the brunette's shoulder.

"Just like you told me Regina," Emma said into deep, tumultuous eyes as the woman turned her head in her direction, "we can do this."

The tone in those eyes staring back at her was something that Emma was incapable of deciphering. Slowly and steadily Regina's hand crept up and slid along the soft curve of Emma's jawbone, her fingertips caressing the skin there, confident and firm as if this touch was the only thing keeping Regina whole. The blonde didn't know what to do, didn't know how to react as the brunette continued to look into her eyes mesmerisingly and convey both everything and nothing she wanted to hear all at the same time. Regina's head inched minutely closer, her look asking the question on both of their lips; what in the world was happening. Luckily, or rather, unluckily, it wasn't a question that was graced with an answer because the Sheriff's phone began to vibrate nosily in her pocket and Regina's hand dropped from her face quicker than she even realised; one second it was there, one second it was gone.

She gave Regina an apologetic look and jabbed the call button, placing the phone at her ear.

_"Emma, you need to get down here right now,"_ she heard her mother's panicked voice through the airwaves, _"somethings wrong with Hook, he's-"_ she spilled out at a million miles a minute.

"Mom, slow down, is Henry okay? Where are you?" Emma replied, the look in her eyes immediately putting Regina on edge.

_"Henry's fine Emma, we've got him, just, get here soon please. We're at the docks."_

"Okay I'll be there as soon as I can," the blonde said, face darkening.

Emma looked over at Regina and sighed, "Hook's gone wacko and Snow is freaking out, let's go."

"And why are we all of a sudden at your mother's beck and call?" The former Queen sassed, knowing full well that they would have to go anyway.

Emma frowned, "Regina this is not the time, please."

The brunette's faced softened immediately, she really had been joking…mostly. "Emma I'm sorry, its a reflex," she said, shrugging her shoulders innocently. Emma couldn't hate her for very long and eventually conceded, holding out her hand. By now Emma was getting used to travelling by magic; it surely was the most efficient way of transport.

"This had to be a diversion to get us away from Henry. Lets go," Emma said, smiling reassuringly as the woman opposite her but underneath the brunette could see something eating away at the Saviour.

Their previously inhabited spot became filled with nothing but purple vapour and they landed, still holding hands, in front of the vast array of boats, facing the scene in front of them.

"Emma, Regina!" Snow yelled from across to their left and came running towards them as fast as she could considering her continually growing bump housing Emma's little brother. Henry and David were around the other side of the commotion and quickly made their way over to the two women.

Regina and Emma took in the sight before them. Hook's body was writhing, forcefully pinned to the ground by Smee and another member of the ship's crew.

"Mom!" Henry yelled and ran into his older mother's embrace first, then Emma's.

"You okay kid?" the blonde asked him.

"Yeah I'm fine. Ma Hook went crazy!" He said, though he didn't seem too scarred by whatever had occurred, probably because this kind of thing tended to happen all the time.

"What happened?" Emma asked, looking from Henry to her mother and father.

Surprisingly, David took up the role of storyteller. "Henry and Hook were having a fight."

Regina immediately butted in, "you're telling me after everything that had happened you are allowing a grown man to sword fight with my son. Really Charming, really?"

"No mom, its fine," Henry promised quickly, "we do no-contact-slow-motion rules."

Regina narrowed her eyes at him, "I'm not sure I believe you young man but David, continue."

"So they were fighting and suddenly Hook just stopped and started spinning round in circles and muttering in gibberish," David recalled dramatically. "Then he lunged at Henry with this weird look in his eye but luckily I managed to knock the sword out of his hand and grab Henry and those guys pinned him down."

"It was really weird Mom," Henry added in, "like he was speaking in tongues or something."

"Do you know what it could be?" Emma asked Regina as they all looked on, Hook still wriggling and occasionally grunting under the weight of the two men now sitting on top of him.

"I have no idea," Regina whispered, "Something to do with the curse's power maybe?"

Emma locked eyes with the brunette for several seconds then whispered back, "or the necklace?"

"Maybe," Regina replied quietly.

Emma turned to her father, regaining his attention. "Right. So we don't know if Hook went crazy then went for Henry because he was the closest to him or whether he was made to go for Henry specifically, but we can't take any risks. You and those two need to get him into a cell. Take all three of you because we don't need him escaping and then put Ruby on guard, she won't take any of his shit."

"Emma!" Regina said. She scolded but in truth the blonde was taking charge of their situation and after all the torment of the past few days it must have felt good for her. Regina allowed her to do this because Emma needed some control and some power in her life and this once the brunette was fine with giving hers over; something she had never, ever been okay with before.

"Shut up", Emma said playfully, half winking at the brunette and earning herself a loving glare in return. "That okay Dad?"

"I'm on it," he replied. "Let me know where you are," he said, "I mean it this time. _Call_ me, no texts."

"Okay okay," Emma conceded with a smile. "Mom, can you take Henry to the mansion and keep him safe there?"

"Yeah, I can do that," she answered, always there whenever Emma needed support.

"Is that okay?" the blonde asked to Regina and Henry alike.

Henry nodded and Regina replied, "Yes, I think that may be the safest place for now. Get a few of the dwarves to go with you. Even dwarf protection is better than no protection," she told Snow.

"Okay," Snow answered, "I'll call them now."

* * *

 

Around the corner from the commotion, situated for the perfect view sat Zelena and Robin Hood. As they watched the Prince grip Hook's handcuffed hands and head and duck him into the back of the cruiser she huffed. This was not going as she planned.

"Would I be right in assuming that didn't work in the way you intended it?" Robin questioned moronically.

"No dear," she patronised, "of course I wanted him to be caught. That was exactly what I wanted."

"But I thought you wanted the boy-"

"I am being sarcastic you imbecile," she growled, closing the distance between their bodies in an act of aggression. "No," she spat. "It did not _work in the way I intended it_ ," she mimicked his tone. "So now, we shall just have to do it the hard way. I'm afraid that since you failed in your task I am going to have to manipulate the circumstances a wee bit to get what I want. Which means that you are going to have to become my little pawn," she chuckled.

Zelena didn't even allow him to speak as she leant in and covered his mouth with the palm of her hand. She inched further forward until her lips were inches from his ear. Pulsing magic began to flow from her hand and spread from his mouth into his body and she whispered in his ear. The necklace resting against her chest glowed green with the power of her magic. She pulled herself back and stopped whispering, magic still coursing through the man's veins. His eyes shot open and flashed green for a second then it all stopped and he sat still, perfectly poised, staring at Zelena.

"You know what you have to do," she said with finality and watched the man rush around the corner towards the small group.

* * *

 

Regina heard her name being called from nearby and she span around to see Robin Hood. She felt Emma tense by her side as she watched the man jog towards them. His face was different to usual, darker, his trademark grimace more unwelcoming than usual.

"Regina I need to talk to you," he shouted.

The brunette frowned at him then decided that she would rather go to him than put on a show, especially in front of Snow White and Emma. She had told Emma about Robin and she really didn't want Emma thinking that there was something going on between them because there absolutely wasn't. The former queen couldn't stop thinking about their kind of almost kiss just minutes earlier. It occurred to her the possibility of breaking the curse by kissing Emma, so that they could all get their memories back. She wondered if it was deep enough for that yet, but then again sometimes it was all she could feel, so maybe it would have worked. Robin Hood was the last thing she wanted, but she stepped closer to him anyway, coming to a rest far enough away from Emma and Snow that they wouldn't be able to hear what was being said.

"What do you want, thief," she asked quietly, ever aware of their audience.

"Regina," he looked down at her, attempting a smile but it fell off his lips. "Tinkerbell told me that a long time ago you and she followed a fairy dust trail and saw a man with a Lion tattoo, who was supposed to be your true love. I believe I am that man, and I would like to ask if you will take a chance with me."

Emma was standing with Snow and Henry just chatting quietly and waiting for Regina. The dock was clear now, only they, David and a few fishermen left. She wasn't paying attention to the conversation and was straining her ears to try and hear the tiniest snippet of Regina's encounter with _that man_. She casually moved round so that instead of having her back to the pair she was facing them. From this angle she was able to read Robin's lips perfectly; a talent which she had learnt over the years of listening in on conversations not meant for her. She caught Robin's words as he confessed and jealousy brewed inside her like the beginnings of a terrible storm.

"No," Regina answered bluntly. "I am not interested in your proposal, Mr. Hood. I'm afraid our connection makes no difference to the fact that I am simply not attracted to you. I am interested in someone else," she stated firmly.

Emma had no idea what Regina had replied but she could tell from the thief's face that it had put a dampener on his spirit. Quickly though, his face morphed from disappointment and sadness to anger. Emma was on her toes, ready to jump in and stop whatever was about to happen. However, she wasn't quick enough.

Regina was watching the man in front of her, green mist swirling in his eyes. This wasn't truly Robin Hood but some magic filled time bomb that her sister had sent into their midst. He growled and muttered, flinching as if there was something trying to get inside his body. The brunette steeled herself, expecting his attack but instead his hands reached up to her face, grasping roughly on either side, his fingertips gripping painfully into her hair. He brought her face forward and forced his lips onto her own. Her hands came up to pull on his arms but there was nothing she could do. The second their lips touched a burst of magic exploded outwards and knocked everyone to their feet.

Snow and David looked at each other with horror in their eyes as they realised that their memories had returned and that some very, very bad had happened. However they were distracted by Emma who was running as fast as she could towards Regina, the woman's face still clasped firmly and forcefully in the large rough hands of the thief.

The blonde slammed all her body weight into Robin and gave him a sharp and stinging bite to the arm which caused him to growl in anger. As he fell away Emma grabbed Regina and pulled the woman towards her, immediately looking her up and down to check that she wasn't injured in any way.

Their eyes connected as Emma whispered, "are you okay?"

Regina whispered the affirmative and then Emma was gone, flying at Robin Hood with the anger of a pack of wild dogs.

Snow grabbed Henry and put her hands over his eyes to protect him from seeing his mother go bat-shit crazy. She wondered why Emma was getting so defensive over Regina. Sure, they were friends now and Emma protected her friends but she had never cared enough about anyone to go this far, ever.

"What," she jumped on top of him, knees either side of his chest, "the hell," she punched him hard in the nose and heard a crunch, "do you think you're doing?" she screamed in pure rage, no one, she vowed, would ever touch Regina again if she didn't want them to. After what they had spoken about last night she felt an overwhelming need to protect the former Queen at all costs. So she continued hitting Robin, blood now streaming from his nose, his arms flailing beneath her. Several of her knuckles screamed in pain as she continued to move her hands.

"Emma! Stop!" she heard simultaneously from both Regina and her father who ran towards her. David's strong arms physically removed her from Robin's chest and immediately she realised what had happened and looked ashamed. David took Emma's place subduing the man and was aided by another to get him into the police cruiser with Killian.

"Get him in a fucking cell too!" Emma yelled, her anger and what she realised might have been magic subsiding as she watched her father say goodbye to Snow then get into the cruiser and drive away.

She turned around and almost crashed into Regina, who she hadn't realised had been directly behind her. There was something in her eyes; not disappointment like the blonde was expecting but something else. Emma looked down at her blood covered hands and sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve.

"I'm sorry," Emma said without making eye contact. The two women were completely oblivious to the eyes of Snow and Henry now watching the interaction between them in wonder.

Regina raised her hand and lifted Emma's chin to look in her eyes, there was a sort of mischievous glint in her eye, "You don't have to apologise dear. I would strongly you advise you not to ever do that in front of our son again, unless you want to be reprimanded for it. But it would be wrong to make you apologise for an act which was committed for the sake of my honour. So thank you, I suppose," she said smiling. There was barely any distance between their bodies and Snow was reminded of a time several years ago when the Sheriff and the Mayor were at each other's throats, inches away from each other arguing over their son. But this was different and even she could recognise that.

Emma looked shocked at Regina's words and self-consciously looked away, prompting Regina move her lips closer to Emma's ear and whisper, "no one has ever acted that way in my defence before, or ever come to my aid." She paused, terrified about uttering her next words, her hand slipping forward to rest on the side of Emma's hip. "Sometimes Emma, I think you may perhaps be my Knight in shining armour."

The blonde froze and then stepped backwards so to be able to look directly in the former Queen's eye. She looked like a deer in headlights for more than a few second but then her features softened. "If I'm the Knight does that make you the Queen?"she asked with a giggle.

"Yes dear, I suppose it does," was the answer she received; paired with a beaming smile.

The two women walked over to Snow and Henry who pretended that they had been doing anything but watching the entire interaction. Henry looked at Emma like an absolute know-it-all and Snow looked at Regina apprehensively, causing her to become concerned.

"Snow, is there something in particular wrong or has the wind changed and stuck your face like that?"

"Regina, seriously?" Emma asked but there was no anger in her voice nor her face. The brunette merely rolled her eyes in response.

"Yes, _Regina_ ," Snow told her off, though all the brunette could think about when she elicited this reaction from the younger woman was what she had been like when she was a little girl; all spoilt and bratty and self-assured. "This is serious," Snow continued. "The curse broke, we have our memories back? Did you not realise?"

Regina stopped for a minute as if searching her mind. "You may have your memories back dear but it appears I do not. The thief's enchanted kiss for some reason did not have an effect on me."

Snow's face darkened. "Regina um…" She didn't know how to tell the brunette what she had to tell her.

"Spit it out Snow, please."

"Yeah Mom what is it?" Emma asked curiously.

"The curse it was…" Snow paused, looking the former queen up and down with a look of confusion on her face. "It was us."

"What?" Emma looked into deep chocolate eyes.

"You heard me right Emma, we cast the curse that brought us back," Snow answered instead.

"But that can't be right, we thought that Zelena did it so she could cast this new one? Regina? How can it have been you?" Emma asked, worried that she had let herself open up to a woman who hadn't changed after all but was still the Evil Queen everyone feared her to be.

"You father and I, we…Well we decided that we needed to cast another Dark Curse because it was the only way to get back to you and Henry. But Regina you…you couldn't cast it because we needed the heart of the thing you love the most, which is Henry," Snow said, ruffling the boy's hair as she said his name. "So you crushed Charming's heart, instead, the thing I love the most. And…"

"Wait," Emma said, struggling to take all this in, "So Dad has no heart?"

"No, we split my heart," Snow replied looking up at Regina, "you ripped my heart out of my chest and tore it in two and now we share it."

Regina looked at Snow like she was speaking gibberish. "All of this actually happened?" She asked, "you're sure?"

"Yes." Snow said with finality. "I'm sure."

* * *

 

Zelena almost screamed out loud in unadulterated anger as she watched Robin Hood being loaded into the police car alongside Hook. She should never have been so stupid as to out her faith in two of the most pathetic males she had ever had the displeasure of laying eyes on. If that hadn't made her angry enough now she was watching Snow White almost blubbering at Regina which truly was sickening. She had been under the impression that it had been Regina who cat the curse, which she thought had been a blessing in disguise for her as she was spared the ordeal of casting one herself. But no she was somewhat disappointed in the fact that it has been the drivelling Charmings who had cast the curse. It put a downer on her mood even more. _I just want this to be over and done with. I guess I shall have to do everything myself_ , she thought.

She stepped regally out from behind the building and strode her way towards Regina and Emma who were still, for some reason she did even want to fathom, pinned to each others sides.

"Well hello there dearies," she spoke loudly to their back, watching as they turned around immediately, though they didn't look entirely surprised to see her.

"Oh, my dear sister," Regina preened, "I see you're having to come and do your own dirty work since all of your terribly selected minions have failed at their jobs."

"Hook failed, yes, but Robin not so much. Though obviously telling you why would ruin half the fun," she said, pacing slowly around the little circle made up of the two mothers, their son and Snow White.

"Naturally," Regina spoke quietly, her eyes becoming darker and more focused on the woman in front of her.

"Anyway, I haven't got much time so if you would all be so kind as to come with me," she asked politely, hands stretched out in invitation.

Regina laughed out loud while Emma simply chuckled and pulled Henry behind her to protect him, her arm outstretched, magic at the ready.

"If you think we're coming with you voluntarily then you must be more insane than I thought," the brunette answered with fervour.

"I was simply asking to be courteous dear. I just thought I would give you the option of avoiding this first," she answered and gained two nervously expectant looks from Emma and Regina. Suddenly they and Henry started to rise slowly from the ground like they were floating on air. She moved her hand up in accordance with them until they were suspended in mid-air, unable to move or even talk.

"I did give you the option," she said regretfully, though she was anything but regretting this decision.

"Stop!" Snow yelled from opposite her, "put them down now you Evil Witch!"

"Oh Snow, um," she pondered her words for a minute and then a smirking grin branched out over her features. "How about no?" she said with a laugh. "I would bring you with us too. But you're no use to me." Zelena glanced down at the woman's protruding stomach. "I also have a soft spot for babies. Do be sure to warn everyone of their impending doom won't you?"

All Snow could do was look on in fear as the Witch disappeared into a copious mass of emerald smoke, taking Emma, Regina and Henry with her.


	21. Power Like No Other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Hey there, happy Sunday everyone. Today's chapter isn't as long (sorry!) as usual but I'm going to try and update again soon. This is something that we've been building up to for a while, Zelena's end, yay! I wanted to clarify something about the kiss between Regina and Robin in the previous chapter for those for you who are interested: breaking the curse was pretty unimportant in the grand scheme of things which is why I didn't want it to be Emma and Regina who broke it, I think that things between them should be much more meaningful. (And there's also some other stuff, which you'll see in this chapter). Thanks as always for the reviews and if you like have any comments then they're appreciated!
> 
> Enjoy,
> 
> Rosie
> 
> (I do not own Once, no copyright intended).

The Swan-Mills family fell unceremoniously in a heap as they were freed from Zelena's paralysing ray of magic which had held them all suspended on their travels. Henry pulled himself from on top of his blonde mother and moved to his feet, allowing the two women to do so too. He wasn't quite steady on his feet, having rarely been transported by magic before and would have ended up on the ground again had it not been for the desperate clutch of his mother's fist on his shirt sleeve, keeping him upright.

Emma glanced around her to get her bearings, thought this wasn't necessary for her to know where they were. She had been sure where they were going before she even landed but the musty, dirty, dark smell confirmed it to her.

"Is everyone in one piece?" Emma asked quietly.

"Yeah I'm fine," muttered Henry as he looked around them.

"And you?" the blonde said, looking at Regina with a look that communicated all her concern.

"Yes, I'm okay Emma, don't worry," Regina said with a wary but genuine smile.

"Good. You know after defending your honour and everything today I wouldn't have wanted it to be all for nothing," Emma quipped back cheekily.

They glanced around them, but Zelena had dumped them and disappeared. Henry walked round the huge symbol carved into the floor.

"Ma what is this?" He asked curiously.

Emma glanced at Regina quickly before replying, but without even speaking she knew it was about time they told their son what could happen. "Its called the Time Turner kid. Now we need to have a strategic meeting real quick, okay?"

"Okay!" Henry replied, excitement lighting up his eyes which somehow matched Regina's so perfectly, he loved to be involved in his mother's schemes. "Can we give our plan a name?"

"I'm not sure we have time for that Henry, but if you can think of one then don't see why not," his brunette mother replied.

"Anyway…" Emma continued, "this is important okay?", receiving a nod in reply from Henry. "Zelena is going to try and take you because in order to cast her spell she needs the thing that your Mom loves the most, which is you, obviously. And she's probably going to try to kill me and your Mom. This symbol," she pointed down, "This is what casts the spell. We have a plan, which we think will work to stop it." She looked at Regina for reassurance.

"But it involves me and Emma combining our magic together," Regina continued. "We've done it before, but not on this scale, and not with someone whose power is so strong. So this could go badly Henry, and if it does then you need to get yourself to safety, okay?" She looked at him seriously.

"Okay Mom, I understand. What if she freezes us or something again? What do we do? And I know what we're gonna call this mission," he replied with a mischievous smile.

Emma let out a small chuckle at her son's inability to fear situations which risked his life, which was probably slightly concerning when she thought about it for too long. "If she freezes us we can…communicate with our eyes? One blink is yes, two is no, three is hit her and four is run, okay? And go on then, whats our mission this time kid?" his blonde mother asked fondly.

"Operation SwanQueen," he said with a grin on his face that stretched from one side to the other. "Also, what if we can't blink when we're frozen?" He asked.

Both of his mother's looked back at him with wide eyes, not wanting to even glance at each other in case either one communicated too much with their look, casually ignoring his latter statement out of shock of the former.

"SwanQueen?" Regina uttered sheepishly.

"Yeah," Henry said, still smiling, "Because Emma's a Swan and you used to be the Queen, and together you're gonna defeat Zelena!"

"Now now now," A voice interrupted from above them, somewhere up in the rafters of the barn. "Not so quick to assume please."

Within seconds Emma and Regina were in full defensive mode. They pushed Henry behind them and both raised their hands in preparation to begin this endeavour. As they did so, all they heard from their enemy was a low chuckle, at which point she disappeared from her spot in a vortex of green smoke and reappeared several metres away, in front of the two mothers.

"Well isn't this a family affair," she said as she paced in front of them, seemingly unfazed by the two women. "My sister, my nephew and, whatever you are," she said finally to Emma, who didn't know whether to be offended or just pissed off.

"Careful, Witch," Emma growled, dropping her stance and baring her teeth like an angry predator.

"Dear, I could eat you _and_ your son for breakfast, so maybe you should try being just slightly nicer to me? Or I'm going to make this even more painful for all those involved than it needs to be. Understand?"

Emma didn't grace this statement with a reply and instead listened to Regina's words. "There will be none of that, thank you. And dear sister I don't believe you have done much which warrants our being cordial to you in the slightest."

Zelena looked at her with narrow, venomous green eyes as she walked around them in a circle. Magically a bunch of hemlock appeared at the end of each line which branched from the three circles carved into the ground. Emma, Regina and Henry were standing in the centre of the middle circle. The plants were lit with a flick of Zelena's wrist and soon smoke started to fill the air, surrounding the little family and obscuring their view somewhat. However, no matter where Zelena moved they could still see her; the glowing green pendant around her neck giving away her location at every moment.

"Right, so break the curse? Check. Capture kiddwinkle and Saviour? Check. Hemlock? Check. What next" she pondered.

Regina interrupted her thoughts with a question she had both wanted and not wanted to ask, for different reasons. "Why him? Why use Robin to break the curse? Why break it at all when it wasn't even you who cast it?" The brunette assumed that Zelena knew how much Emma meant to her, so she has almost asked why the witch hadn't used her instead, before thinking better of it.

Zelena looked as if she contemplating not even gracing the question with an answer, but then she began to speak. "Well firstly he was very easy to recruit. Its much easier to control someone if they are both stupid _and_ desperate. Secondly, I may or may not have been told by a little birdy, or rather, fairy, that you were under the impression that he was your _True Love_ ," she said in a sing-song voice too much like Rumple's for Regina's liking. "And I also may or may not have been told it was someone else. I had intended to allow the kiss to happen of its own accord, to make you fall in love with him then have him break your heart, but obviously I overlooked the fact that he has about as much appeal as a half-dead walrus. So I had to orchestrate the situation a little."

The former queen was confused. _Someone else? Does she mean Emma?_ Regina thought. _Because sorry sis, but I'm one step ahead of you on that one. But if Robin isn't my true love, then who was in the Tavern that night._ _This must be what she wants to keep from me_ , she reasoned.

"She hasn't been a very good friend to you, poor Regina. There have been more than a few lies told here. For some reason unknown to me - after all I don't concern myself with the morals of fairies - she has been wanting to keep the truth from you. I only wanted to do her the favour of making sure you never find out, because happiness is the last thing you deserve." Zelena spoke with hatred, spittle flicking from her mouth in anger after her last sentence.

"I spent a lot of time thinking that I didn't deserve happiness Zelena, that Villains don't get happy endings. But I'm starting to think that might be wrong about that. I do deserve happiness."

"No, you don't!" Zelena screamed in a sudden fit of anger which had Emma pushing Henry backwards several steps. "Now stop interrupting me. Not only are you pathetic but you are _rude_."

"Next on my list is Mummy's heart, which I gave you to thank for." What they assumed was another hand movement prompted the appearance of a chest, one which Regina knew without a doubt had come from her vault.

"Thank you for this, sis. I really appreciate you leaving your little lair unlocked for me, it really did make things so much easier."

"I did nothing of the sort," Regina said, watching the smoke rise around in front of them.

"Oh, you did. You were in such a rush to get back to your precious son and lap dog should they be in danger that you forgot to lock the vault in your wake. What a shame. You do bring these things on yourself. Regardless. Mother's heart was going to be the most difficult thing for me to come across, so thank you ever so much for making my job of destroying you easier."

Regina's hand snuck backwards and found Henry's arm, giving it a reassuring squeeze as he stayed silent, hiding behind his two mothers.

"Now, here comes the really fun part," she said, smiling wickedly as she walked through the smoke towards them. "I'm not entirely sure what your role is in this, Saviour, but you are a threat to my cause and therefore you and the boy will both have to go."

"Don't you _touch_ them," Regina growled, eyes flaring purple with the threat of the two things she loved most in the world being taken away from her.

Zelena only graced the brunette's statement with a laugh before she appeared behind them, grabbed Henry and reappeared just slightly to their right, standing in the first circle of the time turner.

"Let him go!" Emma said, anger bubbling at the surface of her skin. No one touches Henry and gets away with it.

"I was going to make the Saviour suffer a little bit, you know," she said nonchalantly, addressing Regina, arm wrapped around Henry's neck in a tight grip. "Maybe force her to kill Henry, something fun like that, but now I think I've changed my mind. I want you," she looked at Regina, Emerald eyes swirling with malice, "to kill them both."

Neither woman took their eyes off the Regina as they waited for her response.

"You will have to kill me long before I touch even a hair on top of either of their heads," Regina growled. She could feel Emma tense next to her at her words and she had the fleeting thought that maybe it was because she had just essentially voiced how much Emma actually meant to her.

"You're a bore" Zelena whined childishly. "I could make you do it with magic. But that wouldn't quite have the same effect." She stroked Henry's hair predatorily. "I could kill him myself," she whispered in his ear, "but thats no fun either. Not enough…heartache."

Suddenly Regina and Emma were frozen in their spots by one strong blast of magic from the redheaded woman. "Kill her," Zelena looked at Regina, then at Emma, "or I kill him."

A long, sharp dagger appeared in the brunette's hand and her arm started inching slowly upwards, entirely out of her control. The knife glinted in the light which came in through the gaps in the roof of the barn. Emma was turned to face Regina; both women now looking in each other's eyes but unable to communicate via anything but that.

"Mom, no!" Henry yelled and squirmed in the woman's arms, but to no avail.

Emma pointedly glanced several times to Henry and then back to Regina, and received a wide eyed look in return, which Emma realised usually would have been accompanied by a raised eyebrow. Regina's head was at an angle so she could very slightly see Henry, and could almost meet his eyes. He blinked three times…what did that mean, the brunette asked herself. _Hit her? Yes_ , Regina thought. She blinked back once as a signal for yes and hoped that Henry had seen her.

The blonde's gaze was fixed not on her son, but on the pendant hanging around the woman's neck behind him. It was the same pendant, she was sure of it, but glowing in the centre of the stone was a patch which was no longer green; it looked purple, but so light that it stood out starkly against the background.

Regina's hand continued to magically move towards Emma, slowly. Zelena was dragging this out and loving every minute of it. She looked on at her work with a proud gaze, one arm still tucked firmly around Henry - who was making a lot less fuss than she had expected from him - making sure he didn't move anywhere. Then everything happened at once.

Henry quickly and forcefully smashed his pointy elbow into Zelena's side. Though not enough to cause any lasting physical damage, it distracted her enough that her grip over Emma and Regina was momentarily lost. The boy tripped and fell, almost landing on top of the chest containing his grandmother's heart. The contents of his bag spilled across the floor as he fell, including his storybook, which he left in favour of shuffling backwards out of the way of his mothers' oncoming onslaught of magic.

The dagger in Regina's hand dropped to the floor and all it took was a look at Emma to know what they needed to do.

"Now!" Emma yelled, leaning forward on one leg and projecting every ounce of emotion she had inside her at that moment outwards and into the necklace. Regina did the same and suddenly the air was no longer filled with green, crackling, angry magic but the luminescent tones of white and gold and every shade of purple imaginable. Zelena's face was scrunched up in pain, her arms hanging limply at her sides as the light magic entering the pendant drained not only its dark magic, but also her own. Her body lifted into the air, slowly raised higher and higher by the power of light magic now flowing through the pendant.

"No!" Zelena screamed, terrified. Her ego had been so powerful that she had been convinced she could not lose, and now she was being drained of both her magic and her life-force.

Emma had never felt so powerful in her entire life. She had thought that opening the door with Regina when she had been trapped was the most incredible thing she had ever experienced, but this was on an entirely different level. She felt so in tune with Regina, their magic combining together so beautifully to create an immense power which took over her body and mind. It was all she could see, all she could feel. She couldn't help but give a smile and make fleeting eye contact with her partner, which only served to make their force all the more powerful.

"Emma," Regina muttered under her breath, though she knew that the woman couldn't hear her. She couldn't wrap her mind around the magical feat that they were undertaking, and winning, she might add, at that very moment in time. It should have been impossible for them to do it, but the moment her magic had touched the necklace and mingled with its power she had felt something change inside of her. The blonde was so relatively unaccustomed to her own magic that she wouldn't have noticed, but the former queen had known immediately that their power had formed, some how, into something formidable. The magic inside of Regina was no longer her own, but some new breed of magic which was her's and Emma's to share. Even though she was focused on her own power she could feel Emma's every emotion and sense her every movement.

Zelena's eyes opened wide then, flashing amethyst and the amulet around her neck began to glow; firstly dimly, then with increasing brightness. Her mouth opened in a silent scream and the light became so blinding that both women were forced to close their eyes, the intensity still almost unbearable with eyelids scrunched firmly shut.

Suddenly and with one final pulse of indescribable, overwhelming power everything went dark and Emma and Regina opened their eyes to see the witch's body shatter into thousands of tiny pieces of ash and dust. The amulet dropped to the ground and the brunette was transfixed by it for a moment; the gem in the centre was no longer black, or green as it had been when Zelena wore it but a clear white diamond.

* * *

 

Henry was the first to hear the screech of tyres and he jumped up, prompting Emma and Regina to turn around and see David running towards them and Snow climbing more slowly out of the car.

"What happened!" He shouted as he ran, noticing that both his daughter and former enemy were looking rather spaced out and distracted by something. Neither of them had said a word yet and they just looked at him, taking a few seconds to get their bearings. The magic was still pulsing between them and it was more than a little distracting.

"They did it!" Henry yelled at the top of his voice, whooping and doing a little dance. "Operation SwanQueen was a success!"

Emma let out a laugh and looked at Regina, the corners of her mouth twitching up in a smile. _Operation SwanQueen_ , she thought. _That kid I swear_. Snow caught up with her husband and stood next to him.

"Yeah I guess we er…" Emma paused. Had they actually just done this? Or had it all been some weird dream or curse-induced hallucination?

"We did it," Regina said, finishing her sentence and returning her earlier smile with one so dazzling that Emma thought she might implode.

"Well Regina," Snow started, looking more than impressed at both of them, "I guess you really are a hero. And Emma, you are certainly the Saviour we wish we could have brought you up to be."

"We're so proud of you," David said, then, "both of you, really."

"Can we go celebrate with milkshakes at Granny's? Please?" Henry chimed in, dragging out the syllables in his last word and giving them his best puppy dog eyes.

"I suppose we can," Regina affirmed with a smile to Henry, "I think we all deserve it."

The brunette glanced at Emma and immediately got lost in the unreadable look she had on her face. This was one of those now or never moments that only came around once in a lifetime but neither of them knew how to cope with that fact, especially with Snow White, Prince Charming and their son watching.

"Hey Henry, why don't you come in the car with us and your Moms can poof back there, okay?" His grandfather asked him, sensing that there was something hanging in the air. The boy nodded and ran off towards the car, reassured by his mothers that they would meet them at the diner.

They said their goodbyes for now and the two women were left alone in the barn, watching as David's car reversed then pulled away, driving through the fields, which was likely going to ruin his car, though he hadn't exactly been thinking about that when he had sped there from the station.

Neither woman had moved from the spot they had been in when they had defeated Zelena and as a result they were still in very close proximity to each other.

Regina bent down to pick up the necklace which was still lying on the ground. She touched it gently and felt its weight, wrapping the metal chain around her hand. When she was upright again her face was inches away from Emma's. She looked deeply into forest green eyes, then down at the necklace again as she rubbed the pad of her thumb across the gemstone and felt in the palm of her hand what felt, at that moment, like all the magic in the world. Her heart began to overwhelm her and it was almost unbearable because she hadn't let herself feel this much, ever; with Emma it just felt so inevitable.

One minute Regina was looking at the blonde with glassy eyes, the next one arm was wrapped around Emma's neck, and the other came up to grasp the lapel of her jacket alongside the necklace, which came to rest in between their bodies. The former Queen buried her face in the crook of Emma's shoulder and felt the strong, safe arms of the Saviour, her Saviour, wrap around her.

Emma held Regina like nothing else mattered, because in that moment nothing did, so she closed her eyes and let herself fall. She realised that this was the first time they had ever hugged well, outside of a bed that was. At first the blonde was so absorbed in the embrace that she didn't notice the heat start to grow between them or notice the ground around them begin to shake. When they realised what was happening they broke apart, though their arms were still touching.

The necklace wrapped around Regina's fingers was glowing again and there was a rumble deep in the earth which sounded ominous and terribly powerful. Emma looked down and noticed that they were standing dead in the centre of the Time Turner and that Henry's storybook was lying several feet away in one of the circles.

"Regina, that book wasn't open before, was it?" Emma asked.

As the older woman glanced across at it there was another powerful shake in the ground and the pages of the book turned again.

"What is happening?" Regina answered Emma's question with another question.

"You think I know?" the blonde said. Her voice turned high pitched and succeeding in revealing her fear.

The amulet continued to shine brightly and soon it became too hot for Regina to hold in her hand. When she dropped it on the floor magic begun pouring out of it, flowing through the carved grooves on the ground and slowly lighting the symbol up with glowing energy. Then the same thing begin to happen with Henry's book except that instead of magic there were words and pictures flying all around them.

"We need to leave, right now," Regina yelled over the noise but it was too late. They were pulled into a tornado of magic and letters and images. They span and span and span in circles, making Emma feel nauseous. The only thing that grounded her was the firm grasp of Regina's hand in hers as they fell. She didn't know whether they had been sucked into a portal or taken away in a magical twister like Dorothy, but she knew that wherever they were going, it couldn't be good.


	22. Sands Of Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Hey!
> 
> So Emma and Regina are going back in time! I want to let you all know that this is going to be very little like the trip back in time at the end of s3. Big reveal of something in this chapter, which I hope you all enjoy! This chapter is a shortish one again and they're probably going to be like that from now on because of uni essays and general life getting in the way but I will try to update as often as I can! Thanks for the reviews, favs and follows, they are always appreciated.
> 
> Big love!
> 
> Rosie
> 
> (I do not own Once, no copyright intended).

It felt like they had been spinning for hours, caught in a never-ending vortex to the centre of the earth. All Emma could see was flashes of faces and bright, blinding sparks of magic. When their velocity began to slow Emma prepared herself for what she expected to be a pretty heavy fall, and she was not mistaken. When they landed, hard and heavy on the ground the blonde heard a loud crack emanate from her own elbow. Searing pain shot through her arm and she lay on the ground, eyes closed, counting her breaths, trying to make sure she didn't pass out.

Regina jumped to her feet as quickly as she could, shaking off any bumps she received in the fall then scouting the surrounding area for foes. They had landed in some dense woodland, Regina didn't have to see a single other living create or place to know that they were in the Enchanted Forest. .

"Fuck!" The Saviour said sharply under her breath as she tried to push herself into standing position and inadvertently knocked her arm with her own body. Regina immediately turned her attention to the other woman.

"Oh god, Emma. Just stay sat down for a minute, okay?" Regina told her as she knelt down on the floor in front of the blonde. She stretched her hands out to take Emma's injured arm in her hand but as she did the other woman jumped away.

'Ouch, that fucking hurts Regina. Could you at least try and be gentle?" Emma said with a scorning tone.

"I barely even touched it." Regina retorted, "you know for a Saviour you're such a big baby."

"Hey!" Emma exclaimed, "Take that back! I totally defended your life no more than an hour ago, be more grateful," she said in a grumpy tone more suited to Henry as a young child than herself.

With gently probing fingers Regina pulled Emma's shirt sleeve up to reveal what was a quickly swelling joint. She ran her fingers softly across the woman's skin, softening her touch even more when Emma winced in pain.

"Okay. I think its just dislocated. Good news is its probably not broken, which means that we won't have to go seeking out any medical attention - not that there's much of that here," Regina paused for a second, "Bad news is I'm going to have to put it back into place. And its going to hurt." She did look genuinely sorry about the prospect of having to cause Emma pain.

"I'm not being funny Regina, but are you even qualified to relocate an elbow? Are you sure you're not going to render me one-limbed?" Emma joked, but her face spoke her seriousness.

"Believe it or not I used to rather enjoy dislocating people's joints for fun, so I would say I'm fairly adept at dealing with such situations," the brunette spoke with a small. crafty smile, knowing that her comment would provoke the blonde but hoping that her words might distract the Saviour from the pain.

"Sorry…" the blonde sputtered, "did I just hear 'Emma, I'm totally fine to put your elbow back in place because I used to _dislocate people's joints for fun_ '? How did you think that was going to make me feel any better?"

"Just be quiet and let me get on with it," Regina stated. Usually Emma would have thought that this sentiment was accompanied by feelings of annoyance towards Emma, but the way the brunette articulated her words made the blonde reconsider.

Regina grabbed a thick branch from the woodland floor and handed it to Emma, "Bite down on this. Try not to make too much noise, we don't want to draw attention to ourselves."

Emma simply gave Regina a raised eyebrow in reply and accepted the proffered stick, placing it delicately between her teeth and clamping down. She closed her and and took a deep breath.

"Are you ready?"

Emma nodded, eyes screwed shut.

"Okay, on 3. 1…" _Crack_. Regina took Emma by surprise and she howled loudly in pain, teeth baring down into the solid object with all the force she possessed. The brunette crossed Emma's arm across her chest and then began to remove her coat. She took off her shirt too and fashioned it into a kind-of sling while Emma sat still, breathing heavily and recovering from the pain.

"Screw you for taking me by surprise," Emma said, strained, eyes still closed as she tried to overcome the sudden nausea which had snuck up on her.

"It would have been worse if I hadn't," Regina promised, which she knew was true. She knelt down in front of the blonde and tied the sling around her neck, tucking it underneath her arm to finish it off. Regina looked down at Emma with sympathy, and something else, in those big chocolate eyes but Emma couldn't or didn't at that moment want to pinpoint what the hidden emotions might be.

"Thank you," Emma stated gratefully as she pulled herself up with her good hand. First to her knees, then to her feet, leaning back against the bark of the tree again while the world around her stopped spinning.

"No need to thank me," Regina answered truthfully. "However, we should probably get moving. We're going to need food and water and a walk a while to see if I can get my bearings, in which case we can head back to my castle."

Emma leant down and picked up Henry's storybook before they moved off, stroking the leather cover under her fingertips, thinking about what Henry and her parents would be thinking right now. "Okay, I'm pretty hungry. Lets go," she said absent-mindedly.

"That was really weird," Emma said, still distracted by not only the Storybook but also the thought that they had just come through a magical portal. I mean, you would think she would be used to it by now, but apparently not.

"What was really weird?" Regina asked in return.

"That portal. I mean the curse was supposed to kill you and make it so that you had never been born which, if I'm not mistaken, is definitely not what happened," the blonde voiced softly as they began to walk through the woods, staying clear of the road so they could avoid as many nosy travellers as possible. They weren't exactly dressed in the most inconspicuous of clothing; Emma in skinny jeans and long sleeved white top - which was now more brown than white - and Regina in a regal red coat and high heeled boots. To the residents of the Enchanted Forest they would definitely make quite a sight.

"Well yes, it appears that I didn't die and therefore that the spell didn't succeed in the way she planned it, but I don't think we should judge our situation too quickly. You never know whats going to happen here, Emma."

* * *

 

They had been walking for the best part of an hour when they finally came across some sign of civilisation, a tavern, set deep into the woods and well away from viewing distance of the road.

Emma's arm had been hurting her, but she refrained from complaining about it too much lest she annoy the brunette. She didn't know why she was all of a sudden concerned about not pissing Regina off but she felt like after everything that had gone through on this weird, weird day the woman probably deserved a bit of peace and quiet. They were just approaching the clearing when Regina stopped dead in her tracks, grabbed Emma's good hand and pulled her behind a tree. Emma was taken by surprise and almost tumbled over her own legs in an attempt to stay upright.

"Regina what the…?" Emma began, but was interrupted by a loud 'shush' and finger over the lips from the brunette.

The blonde followed the older woman's line of sight and her eyes met the form of a young brunette girl, dressed in a beautiful blue and silver gown which swirled around her ankles gracefully. She was with another woman. Emma could see neither woman's face but assumed that it must be someone Regina really, really didn't want to see; the Evil Queen wasn't really the one for avoiding people rather than confronting them, even if she wasn't the Evil Queen anymore.

Regina released her hand from Emma's mouth, trusting the woman to stay quiet enough as to avoid their being discovered. Their bodies were pressed into each other, side by side, both watching the back of the young girl, both waiting for her to turn around.

When she did Emma sucked in a shocked breath.

"Thats…" she whispered, looking dead into Regina's eyes and back at the younger woman.

"Yes," Regina answered, words so quiet that she didn't even know if Emma would hear them, "that's me."

"What…" the blonde expelled quietly, "does this mean? What I think it means?"

"I believe it does dear. Somehow we have managed to go back in time."

"But why here, why now?" Emma asked, forgoing thinking about the fact that they were in another land for the more important matter at hand, that they had gone back in time. Emma had never, ever believed such thing could actually happen; though now she wondered why not, considering all the other crazy stuff she had witnessed and been a part of.

"I don't know. This is…Remember when I told you about the tavern where I saw Robin that day? Well this is it. I think it may even be the very same day."

Emma was quiet for several seconds while she figured out what in the world all of this could mean, what effect of all this could have. She was really not pleased about the fact that Robin seemed to keep coming into this where he wasn't wanted. She watched young Regina for a while. Her smile was so innocent and free, her eyes lit up as she talked passionately about something and her hands moved around in excitable gestures as she spoke to her friend who's face Emma still hadn't seen.

"Okay." They had to formulate some kind of plan, "So, obviously past you can't see…now you," she said, gesturing down Regina's body, "otherwise all hell will break loose. So how about I go into the Tavern, buy some food, clothing and whatever else I can find for us and then we can go and set up camp not far from here?"

Regina's eyes were transfixed on the smiling past version of herself and she only half took Emma's words in. "That is as good a plan as any dear, but are you forgetting that we possess no currency of this world?"

"You could just make some by magic?" Emma asked, hopeful.

The brunette frowned at her. "Making money is one of the most frowned upon magical things to do, after going back in time, of course. Though I suppose that since we've already committed one crime we might as well commit another."

With a wave of Regina's hand Emma was holding two small velvet pouches of coins. The former Queen hadn't created them from thin air, because that was truly impossible, she had simply magicked them from her room in her mother's castle, knowing full well that they wouldn't be missed; there was plenty more where that came from.

"Okay, I'll be back soon," Emma turned to walk away but Regina grabbed her hand and pulled her backwards.

"Be careful, Emma. Try to blend in," Regina said. With another flick of her first Regina materialised a deep red hunting jacket to cover Emma's sling and upper body, making her look more like one of the natives.

"I will," Emma smiled, "thanks." She squeezed the older woman's hand in hers and the corners of her mouth flickered up in just an inkling of a smile before she started walking swiftly and confidently towards the tavern.

* * *

 

Emma pushed the heavy wooden door open in front of her and was immediately met by the strong overpowering scent of mead and men. It wasn't entirely pleasant. She quickly made her way up to a table to sit down and was swiftly approached by a serving girl who looked at her with both suspicion and awe.

"Hello," she said nervously, "Um, what can I uh…what can I get for you?"

Emma smiled politely back and answered, "My companion and I are on our travels, looking for some food and supplies for the road. Would you be able to help with that?" She tried to remain as confident as possible, now painfully aware that there were more than a few pairs of lingering eyes her; a strange and commanding new woman who appeared out of no where was not a common sight in the Enchanted Forest.

"Yes, of course. I will make you up a package of food and mead, and some other essentials, anything else?" the girl asked.

"Um, any medicine you have for swelling or bruising would also be useful and maybe some clothes, a cloak or two will be fine?"

"We have a small store, I will see what I can find, but it will cost you?"

"Thats fine," Emma answered plainly and waited until the woman walked away before she let herself relax even a tiny bit.

Over the other side of the large, dimly lit room she saw a group of men drinking and playing cards over the table. She watched them for a while, something oddly familiar about the one who had his back turned to her. She couldn't put her finger on it but whatever it is, it was undeniable.

She had been waiting for almost five minutes, picking at the chipped edges of the wooden table with her increasingly destroyed fingernails, when she noticed a faint green trail of sparkly magic begin to make its way through the door. It began weak, only a faint glimmer in the air, but after a while it was very noticeable, a swirling trail of magic leading towards something in the far corner of the room. No one else seemed to have even noticed it and thats when Emma realised that she must be the only one who could see it. It made its way across the room, coming to rest on the familiar man at the table.

_This is it_ , Emma realised, _the trail of fairy dust that lead Regina to her true love. Thats why that man is so familiar, its Robin_.

The blonde was pulled out of her reverie by the serving girl's return, laden with two large sacks. Emma checked them over and saw that the had everything she had asked for, plus a few other things.

"That'll be four gold pieces please," the girl said nervously, knowing that she was over-charging the newcomer into town.

Emma fished five gold coins out of the purse and handed them to her. "four for the stuff, one for your trouble, and discretion?" she asked, eyes saying what her mouth didn't.

"Of course, my lady, I am grateful to have helped," the girl said before scurrying off.

Emma slung the two sacs over her shoulder with her good arm and began to walk towards the door. The strange green trail had almost disappeared now, but the smell of magic still lingered in the air, now unmistakable to her. She turned around once more to give one final glance to the man that had been intended to be Regina's true love. When she turned around, however, she was not met with the solemn and grimly set face of Robin Hood, but a face she knew so much better than that; the smiling, laughing face of her own father.

Emma's breath caught in her throat as she made eye contact across the room with the man who should have raised her, but did not yet even know she existed. She hung her head low and pushed out of the tavern door, quickly making her way back to Regina.

Her face must have been a picture when she returned to the brunette's sight, because the woman immediately laughed.

"Emma, is everything okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Emma placed the sacks down gently on the floor and then looked up into Regina's eyes seriously.

"What is it Emma?" Regina said, starting to become worried.

"The fairy dust…" Emma began, and before she had time to continue Regina interrupted her.

"Oh, did you see it?" Regina asked. She didn't know why Emma was so bothered by something she had already been aware of. Maybe seeing it in real life had been too much for her? She knew that the blonde had been jealous of Robin, that much had been obvious, but Regina also thought that the moment they had shared after Zelena was defeated had blown all of that nonsense away; she didn't want Emma thinking that it had only been a spur of the moment thing because it most certainly had not. She had wanted it for a long time but the timing always seemed to get in between them and there seemed to be nothing they could do to stop it. "Did you see Robin?" Regina asked, voice dripping with concern.

"It wasn't Robin," Emma said ever so quietly, wishing that she was anywhere but there at that moment.

"What do you mean it want Robin? He's the man with the Lion Head tattoo, no?"

Emma was silent.

"Emma, tell me what is going on _right now_ ," Regina said, the tone of her voice dropping two octaves.

"The man the fairy dust lead to…it wasn't Robin. It was…"

Regina waited patiently as Emma ran her fingers through her hair and let out a few long, calming breaths.

"It was my father. It was David."

The brunette couldn't comprehend the words that had just come out of the saviour's mouth.

"So you're telling me, that the man I was meant to spent the rest of my life with was… your father?" Regina spluttered out.

"I wish I was kidding Regina, I really do. But I saw it. It touched him and only him. There's no doubt," Emma said, realising that this would be a very difficult thing for the brunette to take in. "I just don't understand…how? Aren't my parents supposed to be soulmates? I mean, they're Snow White and Prince Charming, meant-to-be, together forever, right?!"

"I mean I thought so…but now….I have no idea Emma. None of it matters anyway because your parents ended up together and everything worked out the way it was supposed it. Its not like we could change anything anyway, because if we start to alter the past then we will never be able to go back to Henry. There won't be a future for us to go back to."

Regina did have one idea, but it was so far fetched; so absolutely ridiculous that she didn't even want to think it. Emma was her true love, that much she knew for sure, if for no other reason than that she could feel it in her bones. So maybe the spell had simply indicated that to her in a slightly non-traditional way? The brunette didn't want to think about it because it made her head ache. She needed food and water and rest and so did Emma, so that is what they did. Little did either woman know that cogs were turning in both their heads, that they were both desperately trying to make sense of what they had discovered. Little did they know that things were a lot more complicated than they seemed, and little did they know that this was just the beginning.


	23. The World Spins Madly On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!  
> First I wanted to say thank you for all the great responses to last chapter, you were all correct about the David/Emma fairy dust thing, I’m glad you enjoyed the plot twist. This chapter is a little bit filler and a little but fluff and a little bit important stuff, I hope you like it!  
> As always favs/follows/reviews are appreciated!  
> Happy reading,  
> Rosie

Emma and Regina walked along, largely in silence, as they contemplated the events which had just unfolded. Emma was confused; Regina not so much. It had taken a while of thinking but the brunette had already come to terms with the strange idea of "David" as her true love. In fact, this revelation made everything so much clearer. She had wondered ever since the night that Emma healed her how it was possible for her to have two soulmates, two people with whom she was supposed to spend the rest of her life, and now everything was obvious It was Emma - it had always been Emma - even way back then. What seemed like a thousand years ago, another life away, had really been preparing her for everything that she was set to experience. It also made her extremely happy that she hadn't walked into the tavern that day to meet the "man of her dreams", because if she had then there may have been a chance that Emma was never born at all, as weird as that sounded. Regina knew that Emma must be slightly confused but she hoped that the blonde would be able to figure it out; she wasn't stupid after all.

There was an undeniable nervousness settling in the brunette's stomach as they walked through the dense woodland of the enchanted forest, looking for a good place to set up for the night. Returning to Regina's castle wasn't an option now, obviously, and the best bet for their safety was to hole away somewhere, away from the prying eyes of citizens who might recognise the former queen for her true identity.

Since Emma's arm was still wrapped tightly in a sling Regina had offered to hold their provisions as they walked, but Emma had insisted that they share the load. She carried the light pack which held the clothes, Henry's book and the necklace - they agreed it would be best for neither of them to wear it - while the brunette carried the food. It looked strange to the blonde to see the regal woman she knew and…loved, _God, do I love her?_ Emma thought to herself, _I think I do_. The blonde stole a glance at the woman and tried to hold in a broad smile, failing miserably. _Why does everything have to be so complicated?_ _What does all of this mean?_ She wondered. A part of her hoped that the revelation of her father as the man the pixie dust lead to would have something to do with her, some hidden meaning which meant that in fact it was supposed to point to Emma all along, but that would be ridiculous, wouldn't it?

"Maybe we should stop soon?" Emma voiced, tired and aching and ready to curl up in a ball and sleep until they found a way to go home.

"Yes, I think we're probably far enough from civilisation now that we won't be attacked, though you never know," Regina answered. "Over here looks like as good a place as any?"

They walked over to a large cluster of rocks and Regina dropped the bag they has procured from the tavern. "If we set up facing this way we'll have a good view of the woods and our backs protected?" The blonde said as she sat down against one of the stones, relaxing for a moment and catching her breath.

"Good idea." Regina was lost in thought somewhat, still wondering what it the world was going through Emma's head, whether she had figured it out yet. She began to pull things out of the sack and lay them on the ground next to each other in order to determine exactly what they had. They didn't, after all, know how long they would be stuck in the Enchanted Forest before they found a way to return to Storybrooke.

* * *

 

It only took ten minutes for Regina to create them a pretty nice little shelter, given the circumstances. Emma sat on the floor and watched, much to Regina's annoyance, while she used magic to attach one large piece of cloth to trees on either side of them and create a canopy over their heads. The blonde did have to move while Regina positioned another on the floor for them to lie on, and proceeded to whine like a child about being forced out of her comfy spot.

"If you're going to insist on sitting on the ground being useless then you could at least make us a fire and start cooking some food?" Regina asked impatiently, earning a mischievous look from Emma.

"Sorry, I'm being really unhelpful aren't I? I'm very surprised to trust me to cook food though, that's new," Emma japed. With a flick of her wrist the pulled a few twigs together and set them alight. "Will that do?"

"Very funny, Saviour," the brunette laughed, "just do as you're told? As Henry would say, I could eat an Ogre right now."

Emma laughed before her face hardened again, "He would say that. okay, I'm on it. I just…what's Henry going to be thinking right now? We promised him we'd see him and my parents and the diner and we just…never show up? What if we can never get back to him?" Emma asked, not usually one to voice her concerns so freely.

Regina paused her fiddling with the shelter and went to sit down next to Emma, looking her square in the eyes. "We will get back to him Emma, we haven't failed yet and we won't fail this time?"

"Okay," the blonde affirmed, trying to infuse herself with a scrap of hope. "Hey, since when are you the optimistic one?" A small, careful smile traced the outlines of her lips.

"Since apparently you chose today of all says to turn into a whiny child?" Regina joked.

"Hey, totally not fair. You had to pop my arm back into its socket, that wasn't fun for me!"

"Okay, you make an excellent point. Tomorrow you'd better get your Saviour on though, so we can get home to our son," Regina insisted, shifting minutely closer to Emma in their sitting positions.

"I promise I will," Emma said truthfully, "today's just been…a long day."

"And tomorrow will be a longer one still, no doubt," the brunette added.

* * *

 

They ate their meal of fire-roasted rabbit, bread and cheese in relative silence, Regina enjoying the sounds of the forrest around them and Emma too preoccupied with staring at the fire to form coherent sentences. When dusk settled around them and it came time to sleep Regina suggested that she take the first watch so that Emma could get some rest, to which the Saviour happily obliged.

The fire still crackled in the background and it relaxed Emma. But even with the cloak pulled over her for warmth the ground was hard and cold and she struggled to actually fall asleep, instead tossing and turning on the ground, not being helped by the fact that she could feel the former queen's eyes on her whenever she grumbled under her breath or flipped herself around, making sure not to jolt her injured arm too much. This continued for a while, Emma couldn't have said how long, before she heard the familiar smooth voice drift through the air.

"Emma?" she said, somewhat nervous yet still as bold and adamant sounding to Emma as it had always been.

"Yes Regina?" She answered quietly.

"If you wish to use me as a pillow, that would be acceptable," Regina tried for her tone to express indifference but she knew that the meaning behind her words would obscure any attempt at neutrality.

"I think that might help, thank you," Emma answered, shuffling herself over to rest her head on the top of the brunette's thighs as the woman leaned back against the rock. It was much more comfortable than the ground and she immediately sank into the warmth of another person like it was her morning coffee. Slowly and surely she began to drift to sleep, the noises of the outside world giving way to the soft warmth of Regina beneath her.

Regina watched the flames dance like lovers in front of her eyes and absent-mindedly began to run her fingers through the tangled blonde locks that splayed out across Emma's back. She then moved her hand upwards and began to stroke her fingers gently across the blonde's scalp. The woman beneath her sighed into her touch and nestled herself impossibly closer. Regina revelled in the feeling of having Emma lying on her, such an intimate moment which nowadays she yearned for more often than not.

The former queen stayed like this for hours, her legs becoming dead from the weight of Emma's head and her inability to move them without waking the woman up. Though she wished they could stay like this forever Regina was somewhat relieved when Emma began to wake, noises and a yawn escaping from her as she rose from her short slumber. She looked up and her eyes met with Regina's.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked, warily, she felt like she had slept for days.

"4 hours, maybe a bit longer. You can go back to sleep though, I don't mind staying up," Regina said, somewhat affectionately.

"No, no," Emma said, pulling herself out of the brunette's lap, to both of their disappointment, "you should get some sleep too, I'll be fine for a while."

"If you're sure?" Regina asked again.

"Yes, positive, you need some rest," Emma said as she shuffled forwards on her ass, throwing several more sticks onto the fire to keep it going. By the time she shuffled back to her previous position, sat up, looking outwards at the dark forest, Regina had turned to face the other way and pulled her cloak tightly around her for warmth. The blonde sat awkwardly for a few minutes, not really knowing what to do with herself.

"Regina?" Emma voiced nervously.

"Yes?"

"If you wanted to use me as a pillow too, that would be fine," she said, unable to stop herself from wanting to provide Regina some comfort after everything that had happened.

Without speaking Regina turned herself around to lie on her other side. She looked up at Emma with big brown eyes but still, no words came out of her mouth. She simply mimicked Emma's position on her and sighed into the contact when she felt the blonde's lithe fingers running across her scalp, her eyes drifting shut.

For a while Emma amused herself by watching the fire, thinking about Regina and absent-mindedly stroking her hair, however after a while she got bored and reached around herself with her good arm to pick the bag with Henry's storybook and the necklace up off the floor. It was an awkward movement, but luckily she did not awaken the sleeping brunette. The blonde tipped both items out onto her outstretched knees. First she looked at the necklace, then placed it to one side of her and began to flick through the pages one by one, looking at the pictures but not really reading the stories that accompanied them. She had read this book so many times before, both for herself and for Henry, that she knew every story almost by heart. This was probably helped by the fact that she knew everyone featured in the book on a personal level and couldn't ever help being dragged into their lives. However, as she turned the page she realised that this was a picture she had never seen before. It was Regina, leaning over her balcony, older than Emma had seen her than day. The blonde read the words which accompanied it out loud under her breath.

_"That night, disheartened by the absence of love and happiness in her life, she wished on every star she could see for three things: she wished for love, for happiness and for a family. Good and Evil go hand in hand, for every evil deed is done with the hope for something better at the end of it all. Some villains wish for infamy, some for power, and some for the destruction of those who have wronged them the most. Regina wished for all these things, but most of all she wished that some day, maybe in some other life, she could have the happiness she truly deserved."_

As Emma spoke she ran her hands lightly across the picture, it drew her in. When he words were finished, the picture began to glow, the colours so vivid and precise that the scene displayed in front of her almost looked real, like she could jump right into it. The book began to almost vibrate in her hands and jolted against the sleeping woman, rousing her immediately from her slumber.

Regina's eyes were wide open and she sat up in shock, only several inches away from Emma's face, looking at Emma as if she had accidentally just set the whole world on fire.

"Emma what did you do?" Regina said, exasperated, trying to wake herself up as quickly as possible. Over Emma's legs she noticed the necklace on the floor and reached out to grab it, inadvertently leaning herself over the blonde's lap to do so.

"I don't know!" The saviour replied, her worry continuing to grow as the light coming from the picture became brighter and brighter. She shifted her legs and put the book flat on the ground in front of them. The next the thing two women knew, everything was golden around them, the world span again and again and Emma's hand reached out unconsciously to grasp Regina's in such a firm grip that she thought she may lose circulation. The necklace chain almost cut into both their hands and Emma thanked whatever god that existed that despite everything around her moving faster than she speed of light she still happen to be sitting down; she couldn't cope with another injured limb.

Then everything began to slow again, like when you're on a merry-go-round and it finally begins to stop. The world gradually returned to normal, colour filtering back into the trees flowers surrounding them.

Emma's hand began to loosen it's grip on Regina's but the brunette didn't allow her to let go, firmly refusing to let the woman out of her grasp incase she got whisked away again by…whatever that was. The shelter Regina had built for them had disappeared and they now sat on the wet forest floor, nothing left but the cloaks that were laid over them and Henry's storybook.

"Oh for gods sake," came the outcry from the former queen, mimicking Emma's exact thoughts.

"What in the hell just happened?" Emma asked as she looked sideways at Regina and they finally let their hands detach. She pushed herself off the floor with her sling-free arm then once she was upright began to undo the knot from behind her neck.

"If I had to hazard a guess I would say that we just got pulled into the book, or the book pulled us somewhere" Regina answered. She looked down at the necklace and then looped the chain around it before placing it in her back pocket. "Why are you taking that off?" she asked as she watched Emma's pull the fabric sling away from her.

"It was annoying, and my arm doesn't hurt anymore. Must have been the magic," she said absently. She picked up the book and held it open in her hands, running her fingers over the page again.

"Do you think maybe it would be a good idea if we _don't_  do that?" Regina scolded, taking the book from Emma's hands and taking a closer look.

"I was just reading from the storybook. I stumbled across a page I hadn't seen before and I read the words aloud, and then all the glowing and crazy shit happened. What did I do?" Emma questioned, baffled as to how she always managed to ruin things in some way or another.

"Is this the page?" Regina requested, pointing down at the picture of her former self leaning across the balcony.

"Yeah, did this happen or is it made up?" Emma asked, even though all of this still felt like made up stories to her a lot of the time.

The brunette's eyes ran from side to side as she skimmed the words, "this definitely happened. But it has never been in the storybook before. You just opened the book and here it was?" Regina knew that things could be added to the book, but she assumed that there would some kid of special process, magic quill or paper or something of that sort; she didn't anticipate that things could simply just…appear.

"Uh huh," Emma answered, perturbed.

They stood in silence for a minute, contemplating it all.

"Okay, I have an idea," the blonde announced, causing Regina to look up at her from the words etched into the page. "I think the book brought us here because it wants us to see that," Emma said, pointing to the picture. "When we came here from Storybrooke we just so _happened_ to land not far away from the tavern, where we saw all that…stuff. Maybe there's something here we need to find out, too?"

"I see where you're coming from, but I remember this, there was no one else even there," the brunette said, doubtful.

"Well maybe its connected to…something else?" Emma asked. "Come on Regina, we have nothing better to do and who knows, maybe this is how we get back to Henry?"

"Its worth a try I suppose," she assented. It wasn't that she didn't want to go or that she thought the blonde was wrong, it was that the time from the picture had been a terrible time in her life and she didn't want to relive it, let alone let Emma see it. But then there was a part of her, a part which she was not at all well-versed with that kind of wanted Emma to see it all. Regina wanted the other woman to know her, properly, before anything occurred between them. The blonde already knew Regina almost better than anyone, but that was Regina's present, her future. Emma was not so well-versed in her past and she worried of what could be revealed to them. There was another part of her that just didn't want to know.

"So, are we going?" Emma asked somewhat impatiently as she flicked her long blonde hair behind her shoulder and fastened the cloak around her neck. Regina had been lost in her own little world for a while.

"Yes, lets go." She steeled herself. Whatever was going to come, she and Emma would get through it together. She tucked the book under her arm and pulled her cloak around her shoulders. She hated it and it made her feel like a peasant, but it was best to try and blend in.

Emma looked up at the sky to gauge the sun's position. "Thats north," she answered, pointing ahead of them, which direction is your castle in?"

"Looking at this picture, I actually believe it is Leopold's castle we must go to," Regina said.

"My mom's castle?" The blonde asked and received a nod from the brunette in reply, "okay, so where's that?"

"East. I think, its been a long time," the brunette stated solemnly.

"Okay, then lets do this," she replied, turning to her right and beginning to walk. She heard the brunette begin to follow her and soon the woman came into her peripheral vision.

"I hope you're not going to be this peppy the entire way, I'm not sure I can cope with that," Regina said harshly, but both she and Emma knew that she would cope with the blonde in any form she appeared in.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to be optimistic, you know?" Emma smiled at her and saw the woman reciprocate it out of the corner of her eye.

"I know, I'm just…scared," came Regina's reply, unexpected yet welcomed.

Emerald eyes connected with the former queen's, open and honest and true.

"I know how much it takes for you to say that, so you should just know that I'm scared too."


End file.
